he says he honestly believes he is justified in putting agun to a doctor's head and pulling the trigger. scott roeder takes the stand to explain why it was all about saving unborn babies. i think he really gave us a lot of hope. i'm happy with the progress so far. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> joe carter hits the streets to find out how you think president obama is doing. and you might just miss her claims of being a werewolf until she talks about beheading a dog. a strange animal cruelty investigation in san antonio. . i'm so glad to have you with us today. i'm christi paul. welcome to "hln news and views." sit back and relax and we're going to do our jobs here, get you informed as you get on with your day. it may be defendant scott roeder's stand. first, however, most of the business in the abortion doctor

murder trial has focused on another defense witness. the judge ruled a former kansas attorney general's testimony would be irrelevant and inappropriate. the judge warns he will not allow the trial to become a referendum on abortion. roeder is expected to testify he killed dr. tiller to save the lives of unborn children. he admits he put a handgun to his head and pulled the trigger. most of the witnesses described how they watched in horror as tiller was gunned down as he served as a sunday usher. a small plane crashed into a mobile home park north of phoenix, this morning. the phoenix fire department says the pilot was killed. he's believed to be the only person on that plane. the plane didn't hit any structures but crashed into some power lines. while the cause of the crash hasn't been determined, visibility in the area was low because of cloud cover there. well, it may be the tip authorities have been looking for in the search for missing 7-year-old aja johnson. a white toyota paseo was seen in

oklahoma city. they say that kind of car belonged to her mom, tonya hobbs. prosecutors have already charged her estranged husband, lester hobbs, with first degree murder. they say she was beaten to death. she had sought a court order against him, claiming he threatened to kill her. he's also charged with kidnapping little aja. he is not in custody. the girl's grandmother told the oklahoma paper she's terrified hobbs already killed aja. she said he hated the girl and was very mean to her but, again, search for both of those people now. i know this sounds unbelievable, about a 16-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble of haiti's earthquake yesterday. we're told she's doing so much better today, even eating soft foods. now, rescuers believe she was trapped for 15 days. she was found in the bathroom of her house, so rescuers think she had access to water but found her after a group of people said they heard a voice in the rubble. rescuers say she was severely

dehydrated, barely had a pulse but said she might not have even lived is a few more hours had they not found her when they did. unbelievable. wow. another quake survivor gave his son a surprise here in the states. former nba player is a native of haiti and talked about what it's been like trying to locate relatives there after the disaster. watch what happened. >> i am what i am because of my dad and my mom. everybody is going through it right now, but it's just really tough. >> it's a whole other world because you haven't actually seen him for like three years. >> yes. >> and although it was good to see him on satellite, of course. >> it was. and, you know, i just can't wait. like i think right now is with my mom because most of my family members are on my mom's side. my dad was an only child. so everybody else is on her side and my mother, you know, she's not in the best of health. so we've been trying to make

sure that she stays calm and just watch out for her. >> you never get too old for your dad to be your dad. >> i can't wait to see him and give him a big hug. >> well, it's funny you say that. let's not wait to see him. >> oh. >> oh, isn't it something, this big man almost brought to his knees there. polynice found out that his father survived the quake and there was a big reunion. something to watch there. president obama is highlighting what he calls hills number one focus, doing so in tampa this afternoon. he'll unveil $8 billion for a

high speed rail system that he says will create jobs. he's following up on the main theme of his state of the union address. he urged the senate to join the house in passing a new jobs bill and also tied several of his other initiatives to employment, including small business tax cuts and support for clean energy. a cnn opinion research poll finds 78% of those who watched the speech had a positive reaction. 48% very positive. 30% somewhat positive. here's what some of them were saying, though, right after the address. >> the first thing that he said into the speech was, i want a jobs bill on the table. i want tax credits for businesses. i want things to be done immediately. and the one thing i saw from him was concreteness. i was happy about that. >> i liked his speech. he said many good things. i would love to see him be able to do what he said he can do, but what was running back through my mind was how, how is he going to do that? >> president obama admits there have been some rough patches since he took office in january

of 2009. joe carter is asking americans to give the president a report card on his freshman year. >> i'm joe carter and this is hln's views from the street. president obama has been in office one year. how do you think he's doing? >> i think he really gave us a lot of hope. i'm happy with the progress so far. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> i think there's been a lot of pressure put on him to have a magic pill which there's not going to be. >> you're happy with the progress one year in? >> i am. >> well, i'm on the poverty level, and i don't think that he's addressed that level since from the time he was trying to get in office until today. >> what i like for some things -- would i like for some things to have moved along better like health care? absolutely. i never thought i would be in a job where i didn't have health insurance, but that's where i am now. >> i think it's just been overwhelming with the money that he wants to spend on health care now and the jobs that it could cost by forcing small businesses

to do certain things. it's going to cost jobs instead of save jobs. >> do you think he's done a good job in one year? >> considering the mess he had left to him, doing all right. kind of overspending, but all we can do is spend our way out of it. >> do you in 365 days obama has done a good job? show of hands. three of four. you don't think he's done a good job? >> no. >> i think everyone was expecting him to come into office and flip a switch and change everything. people who are realistic would understand that's not something that can happen overnight. >> do you believe obama is the right person for the job? >> no. but he's what we've got for three more years. you've got to support the president. >> i'm joe carter and i'll see you on the street. well, president obama urges congress to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. what do you think about getting rid of the don't ask don't tell policy?

would it help the military? would it hurt it? your views on that next. stay close.

gay rights activists welcome president obama's pledge to end the military's don't ask, don't tell policy but not happy he's taking so long to keep the promise he made during the 2008 campaign. >> this year, i will work with congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> a pentagon spokesman says the joint chiefs are working on a plan to end don't ask, don't tell. the military commanders, you saw them there, didn't react to the president's pledge during his speech. defense secretary robert gates gave it a standing ovation. so we want you to weigh in on this. how do you feel about what president obama had to say yesterday? it's a "your views" question.

richelle has been keeping up with everything you've been saying about it. >> actually started keeping up with it last night, christi, because we had a heads up the president would say this in the state of the union. i immediately put it on my facebook page. let's jump in. we want to hear both sides. some comments on my page, richelle carey hln. some don't agree. now, most of the responses we've gotten, though, so far have been people that actually support this idea. let's talk to some people who agree. mike is calling from san antonio. mike, you like the idea of doing

away with don't ask, don't tell? >> yes, i do. >> explain why. >> well, because it's the year 2010 and, you know, people may not understand but being in the military is a job. and if you do your job right, that's what you should be graded on is how good a job you do, not if you like men or women in your own time. it's really not -- what type of performance. my main thing is if you're going to have a problem with that, then you need to be willing to send your kid over to afghanistan to protect this country and to replace that soldier that then you're going to send back home because it was learned that that soldier on his own free time prefers men over women. i mean, that's just ridiculous. >> mike, that's for the phone call. demetris is calling us from nevada. you also think it's time for this ban to go away? >> hey, good morning to you. i was -- i'm a desert storm vet. i served my country proudly.

i was in the persian gulf. i was in the military in the late '80s and early '90s. i think it's ridiculous. gays have always been in our military and it's ridiculous to be concerned about someone's sexual orientation, just like the previous caller said. if someone is coming to work and they do their jobs and they're good soldiers and here to serve their country proudly, that's the only issue. what they do in their private life is not an issue. >> in private life, i understand. but some have said it would do something to morale if gays served openly -- openly. you just don't buy that? >> no. i just don't buy that. because it's -- your sexual orientation is not something that when you're doing your job, it's something that you're open with. i mean, you know. when you go to work, you go to work and you do your job. female, gay, straight. it's simple as that. as long as you're a good person and do your job well and work

well with other people, then whatever you're doing outside of that is really not the issue and it's not a concern. >> thank you for your phone call. and it is morning in nevada for sure, when you said good morning. let's jump back to facebook comments. daeb debbie says -- we're just getting started on this topic. this topic is a doozy. >> it is and we knew it, hence you putting it on early. nick says on my facebook page --

he said i don't want anything to do with obama's policy. jamie says -- >> and we do want to hear from as many people that are current or former military. that would really add a lot to this discussion. so we want to hear from everyone, but we think that would add an incredible perspective to this. do you think gays should be allowed to serve openly, openly serve in the military, is this the right thing to do right now? do you think it's time to do away with "don't ask don't tell" or maybe not? tell us what you think about this. call us now at 1-877-tell-hln or send us an e-mail if you prefer. e-mail at cnn.com/hln. we have a lot of other things to talk about today, too. >> we do. how about this one. this one is something else we want you to weigh in. whole foods, they have this reputation for offering healthier fare. now the supermarket chain wants to reward its healthier workers.

how they decide who's healthier and what good health is worth. hmm.

well, john edwards says he still cares deeply about his wife, elizabeth but in a statement calls the separation an extraordinarily sad moment. elizabeth's publisher said she's moving on and wants to put the difficult chapter behind her. they've been married more than 30 years.

last week edwards admitted he's the father of his former mistress's daughter and a tell-all book comes out next week. golfer phil mickelson says no one can fill tiger woods' shoes. he's the number two spot but claimed number one as tiger woods has taken a break. he says he expects this year to be one of the best of his career, whether or not woods returns. at a news conference yesterday mickelson said he's had limited communication with the woods family and while he's eager for his friend and golf rival to return to the sport, he understands woods is dealing with some pretty personal issues. >> the game of golf needs him to come back. it's important for him to come back and be a part of this sport. but right now he's got a lot more important things going on in his life. and amy and i are good friends with both tiger and elin and care deeply about how this turns out. i'm going to choose not to talk about it publicly anymore.

>> woods has been on indefinite leave about the news of his multiple infidelities broke back in november. whole foods giving their healthier employees a big discount. in a letter to staff members leaked too the website gawker, the ceo of whole foods explains the team member incentive this way. workers will be divided into four groups based on specific criteria like nicotine use, [ bleep ], cholesterol and body mass index. those ranked platinum get a 30% discount, those in the lowest, bronze range, will get 22% off. those who refuse in-store health screenings get the use 20%. the goal is to cut employee health care costs. many criticized mackey last year for a "wall street journal" editorial that he wrote saying health care is not a hugh man right. we'd like your views on this one today. do you think this is a plan, an incentive for employees to get

fit? or is it an insult to those who are overweight or have the occasional drink or smoke in call us at 1-877-tell-hln. e-mail us at cnn.com/-. you can text us, too, the word views, your comment and name, hlntv. standard text rates apply. i would love to hear from you on facebook. christi paul hln. richelle carey has one as well. how can you protect some of your investments from rising inflation? -'s clark howard says there is one type of fund that guarantees inflation. >> if you're worried about what inflation might do the money in your wallet, to your investors, there is a way for you to hedge your bets. and i'm not saying put all your money in this. remember i said hedge your bets. that's where you reduce the risk to yourself by doing this as part of what you do. the u.s. government sells something known as tips.

it's kind of like buying a cd from the government. the big money crowd buys these direct from the government at the u.s. treasury website, treasury.gov. but most normal earthlings buy tips mutual funds. they tend not to require very much money to open the account. what it does is, if the united states has terrible inflation, you're guaranteed back the return on your money, plus the rate of inflation. so even if inflation goes crazy, you don't lose money. i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to protect that buck, check me out at cnn.com/clarkhoward. scott roeder admits that he held a gun to dr. george tiller's head and pulled the trigger. there is scott roeder right now. he is on the stand in this murder trial. we're going to bring you the very latest on what he has to say in a moment. 

you're looking at scott roeder. he's the man accused of killing a kansas abortion doctor. he's testifying in his own trial right now. now, he's arguing the killing of dr. george tiller was justified to save the lives of unborn babies. let's listen. >> those who are adamantly opposed? >> yes. >> there are many people in the middle, is that fair? >> excuse me. i'll have a continuing objection to leading and suggestive to the witness. this is direct examination. i would ask that the court rule on that. >> the last question was leading and suggestive. you can rephrase. >> are you aware of differing views on the practice of abortion? >> yes. >> are you aware that some people make exceptions for abortions? >> yes. >> that people who are opposed

to it would make an exception is what i'm referring to. >> yes. >> do you believe there are exceptions to abortions? >> i think the only exception, which i even struggle with, is the life of the mother and if it has been determined that absolutely the life of the mother is in danger and would die -- i struggle with that decision because i believe it ultimately is up to our heavenly father. but if there was a time, that would be it. >> if a medical diagnosis that the mother would die if she remained pregnant? >> yes. with at least two opinions. the more, the better. >> what about if the mother's health was going to be affected in some other way short of death? >> i can't see why that would justify an abortion. >> what about cases where a woman's mental health would be

affected -- >> your honor, i'm going to object to the cross-examination on direct and ask the court to rule. >> overruled. his opinion. you may proceed. >> you can answer the question. >> i'm sorry. could you ask it again? >> what about in situation sls where a woman's mental health might be affected? >> no, i do not believe that is justified. >> are you aware abortions were being performed in the state of kansas based on women's claim of mental health? >> yes. >> are you aware if abortions were being performed by dr. tiller based on women's claims of mental health? >> yes. >> and do you know what those mental health claims would be? >> anxiety and depression, which are temporary conditions. >> so you believe that abortions, especially late-term abortions such as dr. tiller performed, were inappropriate

based on that? >> objection, your honor, this is here say and there is no foundation. and relevancy is also questioned. >> well, it would be based upon here say, but it's also -- again, you were leading him. >> your honor, can we approach on the here say? >> you can approach. >> all right. joining me right now is vinnie politan of "in session." we've been watching some of this testimony. earlier -- i don't know if you saw it, but the most probably jolting question that could come up was directed at mr. roeder. the attorney asked, did you shoot and kill dr. tiller? and he said, yes. >> that's a question from his own attorney. >> right. >> a little surprising, isn't it? >> very surprising. >> the thing with this trial and

the case for scott roeder, it's not about whether or not he killed dr. george tiller. he admits everything. he admits going to the church. he admits purchasing the gun, going to practice firing the gun, shooting the doctor point blank range in the temple. >> and is that rare? >> it's very rare. >> to come up and be forthright about it? >> very, very rare, because this case for scott roeder is about more than just -- >> more than murder? >> it's more than murder. it's about what he thought he was doing. what the defense is trial to do here is establish the only defense that they have here which is this is something less than first degree murder. they're trying for voluntary manslaughter. the key element is what are his honest beliefs? does he honestly believe that he's justified and has no choice but to kill this abortion-providing doctor in order to save the lives of these unborn children. >> because his argument has been just that. he's saving other lives by

taking this life. >> i honestly believe that. under the law, he needs to honestly believe that under kansas law. >> based on what we know of this case, do you see that -- i know based on what's happening today, that voluntary manslaughter could be thrown out the window? >> it could be. what the judge did -- the judge ruled the defense could present evidence to try to prove that. now, if the judge believes they have established enough in order to make an argument to the jury, then the judge will say, hey, you can find him guilty of first degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or not guilty. >> let's listen to more of what's happening in the courtroom right now. >> without talking about percentages, i'm asking your opinion on abortion as it relates to women who may have been sexually assaulted. >> no, i do not believe that that is justified. >> why not? >> you are taking the life of the innocent. you're punishing the innocent

life for the sin of the father. two wrongs don't make a right. >> what are your feelings about victims of incest as it applies to abortion? >> the same. it is not our duty, prerogative to take life. it's our heavenly father's. so, yes, it would be wrong in thosensta again, you would be punishing the innocent for the sin of the father. >> objection. objection. >> there was no question pending. it was nonresponsive. the jury is admonished to disregard the last statement. >> the same reasons up for opposition to abortion when it's the result of a rape would apply to incest? >> yes. >> in your education of abortion, when you educated yourself, did you come to learn about different types of

abortions? >> yes. >> can you explain briefly what you've been exposed to as far as the different type of abortion procedures that exist? >> there's a dnc, dilation and curettage. >> objection. it's as it relates to the issue of abortions in the medical field. >> counsel will approach. >> all right. scott roeder testifying on the stand right now. we're going to take a quick break. .

you're looking at scott roeder here who is accused of killing a kansas doctor. he's testifying in his own trial right now, arguing that he was

justified in the killing of dr. george tiller to save the lives of unborn babies. they're asking him right now about various kinds of abortions. let's listen. >> they're late term. >> so your understanding is any child aborted after 22 weeks is considered late-term abortions? >> yes. >> do you believe that late-term abortions are somehow worst than other abortions? >> my understanding of the -- >> your honor, i'm going to object, because it sounds like his understanding is going to come into an explanation. >> i think as phrased, it calls for a yes or no. he can answer yes or no and he's not allowed to elaborate beyond that. your question as phrased calls for a yes or no answer. you want it read back? >> no, i don't. i'll withdraw the question and ask another question. what are your feelings about late-term abortion? >> they're definitely wrong.

>> how so? >> the child is more developed, feels more pain -- >> your honor, objection. this is -- >> that's speculation. the last statement, the jury is admonished to disregard with reference to pain. mr. roeder, i think you need to rephrase your question or at least guide and direct your client's testimony in this regard. >> scott, as your feelings of abortion and the practice of abortion developed, did you take any personal steps to get yourself involved in the pro-life movement? >> yes. i began sidewalk counseling. >> let me interrupt you there. can you explain what sidewalk counseling is? >> we would go to the abortion clinics and meet the women coming in with pamphlets and literature and try to talk to

them and give them literature for -- so they can be further educated on what is really happening and that they would ultimately change their mind. so, yeah. >> where would -- is it fair to say that what you call sidewalk counseling, others might call protesting? >> yes, i guess there's really -- they could be intertwined. you can sidewalk counsel and protest. some carried signs. and sidewalk counseling would mostly involve trying to have the women change their mind. >> where did you -- where did you perform sidewalk counseling at? >> mostly in the kansas city area. >> and i'm under the assumption that you would sidewalk counsel outside of abortion clinics. >> yes. >> or hospitals that perform abortio abortions. >> mostly abortion clinics. >> those abortion clinics were known to you and other people, i suppose, who were counseling along with you? >> yes.

>> did you ever sidewalk counsel in the city of wichita? >> yes. >> where would that have been? >> at george tiller's clinic. >> did your sidewalk counseling efforts ever succeed? >> we did have few successes. some of the women would go to the crisis pregnancy center next door. and we considered those successes. we later found that some of them did ultimately change their mind. so, yes, we did have successes. >> you referred to a crisis pregnancy center next door? >> yes. >> what do you mean by that? >> just to the south of george tiller's clinic, there was a crisis pregnancy center set up for women to go into and counsel, be counseled, have a pregnancy test and further help if they chose to save -- to have their baby. >> how far away from dr. tiller's clinic was this pregnancy crisis center --

>> compelling video and testimony from scott roeder accused of killing dr. george tiller. he's trying to justify he did so to save the lives of unborn children -- dr. tiller performed abortions. we'll be right back in a moment.

rift riveting moments with scott roeder taking the stand. for the first time testifying in his own trial and for the first time he's publicly admitting that he shot and killed dr. george tiller to save the lives of unborn babies, answering questions from his own lawyer here, so let's listen. >> oh, well, i do remember in '93 shelly shannon shot george tiller once in each arm, although he was back to work the next day. she was just trying to stop him. >> your honor, i'll object to conclusions he made as here say from shelly shannon. i suspect she's not available, your honor. >> what she was trying to do, i'll sustain the objection.

>> were you aware of other acts of violence against dr. tiller and/or his clinic? >> i believe, yes, in 1986 it was bombed, although a few days later it was -- it was running again also. >> you testified that you individually came to wichita to sidewalk counsel or protest dr. tiller's clinic. do you know if his clinic was the site of other protests? >> yes. through the years, there have been many. i remember specifically, i believe it was called pray in may in 2007. that was typical of many gatherings that would happen there to bring awareness, more awareness, and also to pray for the cessation of what was going on there. >> did you belong to -- either

formally or informally, groups that would help provide education about abortion and dr. tiller? >> informally, i guess you'd say. i never considered myself a member of any particular organization. >> through the material that was disseminated and available to you, what did you learn about the practice of dr. tiller? >> the fact that he was performing late-term abortions. on viable children. >> the practice of dr. tiller, was it a secret? was it done secretive? was it widely known? >> no. >> object. object as the question is leading and suggestive and calls for speculation on the part of the witness.

>> well, it calls for an either/or. it's not suggesting or leading. he can answer. >> i'll rephrase it to make it easier. are you aware if dr. tiller performed threes late-term abortions secretly or was there advertisement and was there evidence brought out about it -- were you exposed to it? >> objection. foundation. >> well, it's compound and it does require some foundation. sustained. you have to break it down -- >> did dr. tiller perform these abortions in secret? >> not to my knowledge. >> were you made aware and was the general public made aware of what he was doing, sometimes through his own publications? >> yes. >> literature and videos? >> yes. yes. did you become aware throu your education process how many

abortions dr. tiller performed per week? >> objection, your honor. this calls for speculation. it also calls for conclusion this witness may not be able to give. there is no foundation, it hires hearsay and it's an inappropriate question. >> the answer to the question calls for a yes or no. beyond that, then you need to ask him the basis for that. >> based on the materials, the information that were openly and widely available, again maybe from the source of dr. tiller, were you aware of how many abortions he performed per week? >> again, your honor, objection to this form of this question and the question calls for yes or no, but it's a complicated --

what is he looking at. >> well, it's leading and suggestive in that it assumes the basis for his knowledge. you described several different things, publications, advertisements. i'm sustaining the objection. >> have you been exposed to documents, pamphlets, videos, which talked about the number of abortions per week? >> yes. >> and what was that number? >> your honor, i object. there is no foundation. >> well, sustained. mr. rudy, the answer is question. you need to ask which of those so that i can determine whether it's hearsay, whether it's an appropriate foundation, whether there's some basis for him to then answer that question. the ultimate question, which is the number. >> if you know. >> scott roeder, you're looking on the stand, as he testifies in his case, this murder case. we'll bring you more in a

moment. stay close.

[ music ] >> welcome to comcast local edition, i'm donna richardson, and my guest this hour is leslie prewitt, director of external operations, opportunity builders. good to see you. >> thank you for having me. >> can you tell the viewers about opportunity builders incorporated and what exactly the organization does? >> absolutely. we have been around for 47. we were started in 1962. we provokessa provide training d rehabilitation. >> what are the services you offer your clients? >> there are 170 that stay in our warehouse that do packaging

then we have 180 individuals that go out and work for local employer. >> you have the employers who are helping out and also having the contracts to give those, like you said, in the warehouse employment possibilities. >> absolutely. we're always looking to new contracts to fulfill, inside of our warehouse and then outside we're always looking for new employers to hire our adults. >> now all of this, i know it takes funding, and you've got a fund-raiser coming up. >> right. >> so tell us about your mardi gras. >> well, hence the beads so you know why i'm wearing beads. we are very proud of our 12th annual mardi gras. we have live music, we have a casino, an auction, great food,

beer, wine, and ice cream and it's a great night and a lot of fun. >> it does sound like a lot of fun. how much are the tickets to be able to enjoy all this fun? >> the tickets are $50 each. >> very, very reasonable, and it sounds like you're getting a huge value with the opportunity of the casinos and the great food and the auctions and the dancing. >> uh-huh. >> so with this, because i know it takes a lot of dollars in order to run the program, how do you plan to use the proceeds? >> the proceeds will help with our operating expenses, especially with the downturn in the economy and budget cuts, we will be using it to assist the organization. >> leslie, i do have a question. how do your clients become a part of opportunity builders? >> they are funded for the developmental disability administration. if someone is interested, if a family is interested in having

family members participate in an opportunity with opportunity builders, they would call and then we would direct them to our director of employment that would start them through the process of the program. >> once they're in the program, do you also provide training before the clients either work in the warehouse or go out to work with your partner businesses? >> absolutely. in the warehouse, we do have an instructor to assist individuals with each contract, and as far as the individuals who go out into the community and work, we do training for those individuals. they have a one on one coach so we'll make sure the individual knows how to do the job before we have them working on their own. >> in going back to mardi gras, do you need any volunteers to help out, because that's a big undertaking you have so many different activities going on? >> absolutely. we can always use volunteers, but we can always use the ticket

sales, and that's really a big emphasis for us, ticket sales and sponsorships. >> exactly. so there are sponsorship opportunities available? >> absolutely. >> how can they reach you if they want to buy tickets or become a sponsor? they can call our office. >> perfect. well, leslie, thanks so much for joining me. >> thank you for having me. >> our guest this hour is less by prior to director of external operations at opportunity builders. for comcast local edition, i'm donna richardson. [ music ]

he says he honestly believes he's justified in putting a gun to the head of a doctor and pulling the trigger. scott roeder on the witness stand today in wichita, explaining why it was all about saving unborn babies. >> i think he really gave us a lot of hope. >> i'm happy with the progress so far. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> joe carter hits the streets to find out how you think the president is doing. a new story of survival rises out of the rubble of haiti. trapped 15 days but alive and now safe. it's amazing. the latest news from hln "news and views." i'm chuck roberts. welcome. scott roeder is explaining why he put a gun to the head of dr. george tiller and killed him. roeder is testifying that his religious beliefs mandated that he stop late-term abortions. he said he had to kill dr. tiller to save the unborn.

>> from conception forward it is murder, it is not man's job to take life. it is our heavenly father's. he is our creator. he gives and takes life. it's never up to man to take life. only in cases of self-defense or defense of others. >> prosecution witnesses had described how they watched in horror as tiller was gunned down at his church while serving as a sunday usher. again, the testimony will continue after a recess. it's now -- it's still a recess under way in sedgwick county, kansas, but we'll have further coverage from the witness stand there. it may be the tip authorities had been looking for in the search for the missing 7-year-old asia johnson. a white toyota paseo has been reported found in oklahoma. that kind of car belonged to her mom, tonya hobbs. tonya hobbs was found dead in an rv about 100 miles outside oklahoma city.

prosecutors have charged her estranged husband with first-degree murder. they say she was beaten to death. she had sought a court order against him claiming he threatened to kill her. he's also charged with kidnapping asia. the girl's grandmother says she's terrified hobbs had already killed the girl. he hated her and was very mean to her. authorities may have found the body of a missing 2-year-old boy. a small child's body was found in a roanoke landfill and police are waiting for the medical examiner to determine if it is indeed 2-year-old aveion lewis. police say the body was found in trash that came from his neighborhood. his step dad, brandon locket, first told police three men kidnapped the boy. police say it never happened and they think the boy was dead before anyone called 911. locket is in jail facing several charges, including improper disposal of a human body. president obama is in tampa as we speak highlighting what he calls his number one focus. he's unveiling $8 billion in funding for a high-speed rail

system that he says will create jobs. it's his first follow-up on the main themes of his state of the union address. he urged the nation and the senate to join the house in passing a new jobs bill. he also tied several of his other initiatives to employment, including small business tax cuts and support for clean energy. a cnn opinion research poll finds 78% of those who watched that speech had a positive reaction. 48% very positive. 30% somewhat positive. here's what some of them are saying about the address right after the fact. >> the first thing that he said into the speech was i want a jobs bill on the table, i want tax credits for businesses, i want things to be done immediately, and the one thing i saw from him was concreteness. i was happy about that. >> i liked his speech. he said many good things. i would love to see him be able to do what he said he can do, but what was running back through my mind was how. how is he going to do that. >> the president admits there have been some rough patches since he took office a year ago. americans are giving him a

report card on his freshman year. >> reporter: i'm joe carter and this is hln's "views from the street." president obama has been in office for one year, how do you think he is doing? >> i think he really gave us a lot of hope. i'm happy with the progress so far. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> i think there's been a lot of pressure put on him to have a magic pill, which there's not going to be, of course. >> reporter: so you're happy with the progress one year in. >> i am. >> i'm on the positive level and i don't think that he's addressed that level since the time he was trying to get in office until day. >> would i like for some things to have moved along a little bit better like health care? absolutely. i never thought i would be in a job where i didn't have health insurance but that's where i am now. >> i think that it's just been overwhelming, with the money that he wants to spend on health care now and the jobs that it could cost by forcing small businesses to do certain things, it's going to cost jobs instead

of save jobs. >> reporter: do you think he's done a good job in one year? >> considering the mess he had left to him, he's doing all right. kind of overspending. but all's we can do is spend our way out of it. >> reporter: do you think in 365 days obama has done a good job? show of hands? three of four. you don't think he's done a good job? >> no. >> i think everyone was expecting him to come into office and flip a switch and change everything. people who are realistic would understand that's not something that can happen overnight. >> reporter: do you believe obama is the right person for the job? >> no, but he's what we've got for three more years and you've got to support the president. >> reporter: i'm joe carter and i'll see you on the street. the president last night called on congress to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. what do you think about getting rid of don't ask, don't tell that's been in effect since 1993? would banning that, that is scrapping that don't ask, don't

tell policy help the military or hurt it? we'll hear your views next.

one of the most influential men in the literary world is dead. j.d. salinger's son says the author of the famous book died at his home in new hampshire of natural causes. of course teens all other the world identified withholden caufield and the themes in his novels. j.d. salinger, a recluse, dead at the age of 91. gay rights activists welcomed the president's call last night to end don't ask, don't tell, the policy under which gays could not serve openly in the military, but they're not happy that he's taking so long to keep a promise he made during the 2008 campaign. >> this year i will work with

congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> a pentagon spokesman said the joint chiefs are working on a plan to end don't ask, don't tell. the military commanders did not react to the president's pledge during that speech. defense secretary gates gave it a standing ovation. we'd love to know how you think about what the president said about gays in the military. is it time to end this policy? richelle carey has been getting a lot of opinion. richelle? >> chuck, so far a lot of the reaction we've gotten, i would say far more than half, are people that are saying that they support the president's decision to try to repeal don't ask, don't tell. we're going to explore both sides, though, so if you want to comment on the discussion, which actually started last night, just go to richelle carey hln in

facebook. marketha says this, i hope obama is ready for gays to be openly harassed in the military. right now if no one knows, they can't harass you. the military is an organization, if you don't agree with the rules, don't join. this is from willie. willie says everyone should have a right to fight for what they believe in, as long as they are passionate about what they are serving for, why should it matter? i would rather have a gay person who loves their country they're serving than a straight person who just joined for the money, which does happen. let's talk to someone now. mario is calling from kansas. mario, i understand you are a person with some military ties and you like this idea. >> caller: well, you know, i'm the son of a father who served during world war ii, he was a survivor of the concentration camps. and so following that suit, i volunteered for the navy during the vietnam crisis. i and other friends of mine volunteered for the navy while

other men are going to canada to avoid the military during the vietnam crisis. as a gay person, we never acted on our sexuality. we served our god and we served our country. and we volunteered for that. and i'm proud to say that i joined the navy to serve in both forms. >> okay. and how do you feel about the idea of being able, if this were to change, to openly be able to serve. meaning you'd be able to go to a function, a unit function, and take your significant other if you wanted to? >> caller: i would endorse that. you know, this is another type or form of discrimination. it's time that we bring down the barriers and say that we are all created equal. we can serve equal. i would endorse anything that would allow me to bring my significant other, others to

bring their significant others, and to say that we are one. >> okay. let me ask you this because i don't have the military experience you do, okay. folks in the military think different, and they need to for what they're asked to do. what about people that say it could damage morale, do you buy that at all? >> no, i don't believe so. in this day and age, the younger generation has a more open, nondiscriminatory view about gays. it's the older generation that's still a little hung up about it. but i served in vietnam and there was never a problem. we didn't discuss it, we didn't act on it. we served. >> okay. mario, thank you for the discussion. and thank you for your service as well. let's get some more facebook comments. red says i feel as long as they are not having sex in the barracks, i don't care about their sexual preference. if they are willing to defend this country on foreign soil in time of war, i have more respect for that than someone who joins the military for education alone

and tries everything they can to get out of active duty. after all, we are all americans. all right, chuck, what's on your page. >> i got one from robert who writes this. i am an ex-navy vet and i would not have felt comfortable on six-month tours knowing that i shared berthing or bunk and showers with some people i know don't share my sexual preference. i'm for gay rights, he continues, but the military is all about morale and i think openness would lower that morale. >> okay. part of the discussion. we want different views on this. what do you think? should gays be allowed to serve openly in the military? is it the right time to repeal don't ask, don't tell, or do you think it never is. this is a perfect topic for your views. we want all of your views on this. call us at 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln or continue to comment on all of our facebook pages. this is a discussion that's worth having.

>> absolutely. 66,000 gays and lesbians apparently in the military, according to some estimates. thank you so much. all right, he says he'll kill the person responsible for taking his little girl. what else, the dad of little hailey cummings is saying from jail.

john edwards' former aide says he found something shocking when he was cleaning out his house. he tells abc news it was a videotape of edwards having sex with a visibly pregnant woman,

presumably rielle hunter. young says it was made a couple of months before the 2007 iowa caucuses. he is about to release a book about the sex scandal and his role covering it up during the '08 presidential campaign. that included young claiming that hunter's child was his, and moving her into his house with his family. andrew young says he found the tape after hunter moved out. we've reached out to edwards and hunter about the claim. we're still waiting for their comment and reaction. snow and freezing rain of causing big headaches in oklahoma. numerous schools and offices are shut and flights are being cancelled at the state's largest airport. dave jordan from kw tv has the latest. >> i'm dave jordan here in oklahoma city where it is gearing up to be a very busy, severe and possibly dangerous weather day. forecasters have called for at least an inch of ice to fall in the oklahoma city metro area. that is expected to be followed by several inches of snow. in anticipation of this storm,

many commuters, as you can see behind me, are starting to head home so that they will not be caught in the thick of things. that was certainly the case last month when 13.5 inches of snow fell in this very same area. as for today, we are not hearing any reports of any severe accidents or fatalities, and they are hoping that that continues throughout the day. i'm dave jordan for cnn. it may sound unbelievable but a 16-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble of haiti's earthquake yesterday and we're told she's doing a lot better today. she's eating soft foods. rescuers think that she was trapped for 15 days. the full 15 days. she was found in the bathroom of her house so rescuers think she had access to water. they found her after a group of people said they could hear a voice faintly in the rubble. rescuers said she wasydrated an pulse. she might not have lived a few more hours if they hadn't found her. former nba player is a

native of haiti and he went on the dr. phil show to talk about what it's been like to try to locate relatives there. watch what happened. >> i am what i am because of my dad and my mom, so everybody is going through it right now but it's just really tough. >> well, it's a whole other world because you haven't actually seen him for like three years. >> yes. >> and although it was good to see him on satellite, of course. >> it was. and, you know, i just can't wait. like our thing right now is with my mom because most of my family members are on my mom's side. my dad was an only child. so everybody else is on her side and my mother, you know, she's not in the best of health so we've been trying to make sure that she stays calm and just watch out for her. >> you never get too old for your dad to be your dad. >> i can't wait to see him and give him a big hug. >> well, it's funny you say that. let's not wait to see him. [ applause ]

>> wow. he found out last week his father survived the quake. what a moment, huh? the father of a missing 6-year-old said he'd kill the person who took his little girl. ronald cummings was recently picked up on drug charges in florida. he said detectives wasted for time asking about his missing daughter, haleigh. speaking to a local newspaper reporter cummings didn't hold back when asked what he'd do to the person responsible for taking haleigh. >> kill them. same thing i said on the 911 call. i just want to make sure -- i don't care if they get me for injustifiable homicide, i don't

care. it doesn't matter to me. it will be worth life without parole or the death penalty or whatever. >> haleigh disappeared last february, almost exactly a year ago from her home in florida. cummings' ex-wife, misty was the last person to see her. she was arrested with him in the same drug bust. investigators think she knows more about haleigh's disappearance than she's let on. a teenager is recovering from a burn she says is from her cell phone. she said she fell asleep texting and when she woke up the phone the melted and burned a hole through her blanket, burning her stomach. >> i'm like oh my gosh, what should i do. it's been hard trying not to text people. i was a little upset because i just got it. >> experts say meltdowns are rare but can be caused by water buildup or counterfeit batteries. at&t says it's investigating the incident. the loved ones of a missing utah mother showed they're not giving up hope. they decorated susan powell's empty home with hearts and bows. a sign said "we will find you."

powell's husband has moved from utah to washington state. his attorney denies police allegations that he's not fully answered their questions. toyota has expanded its recall to include another 1.1 million vehicles. that brings the total of recalled vehicles since november to more than seven million. the latest recall adds to the four million cars toyota recalled last fall to fix a problem in which the gas pedal gets caught in the floor mat. that's separate from last week's recall of 2.3 million vehicles. the one that involves gas pedals that get stuck, sometimes causing the car to accelerate even after you take your foot off the pedal. a father is accused of getting high with his teenage son, but wait until you hear what led police to the house where they say they found all those pipes and bongs.

the man accused of killing a kansas doctor who performed late-term abortions is testifying in his own trial. scott roeder argues he had to kill dr. george tiller to save the lives of the unborn. vinnie politan joins us from "in session" with his legal expertise. how's he doing? was he effective? >> well, it's a tough case. he got on the stand and admitted everything. they got that out of the way in the beginning. now what they're trying to do is explain what the defense is and explain what's going on in the mind of this defendant, scott roeder. he admitted the shooting. he said i planned it, i knew this was the only time i could kill him, but now his lawyer is saying, well, tell me about apportion and that's where the real battle is in the courtroom. the judge has said this is not going to be a trial about abortion. it's not a referendum on abortion. i don't want to hear about the procedures. this is not about abortion. but this is what the defense wants it to be about. and this is what the defendant

wants it to be about. so that's the battle that's taking place in the courtroom now. and, you know, it's an uphill battle. it's a difficult case to defend. the only thing they have is a potential for voluntary manslaughter if this jury and judge can be convinced that there's enough evidence that shows that he honestly believed that he needed to shoot this abortion providing doctor. >> but the state went so -- they built a case of premeditation so carefully, all the planning that went into this killing. >> oh, yeah. >> is that consistent with voluntary manslaughter? >> no, not at all. >> as a point of law? >> not at all. see, what the defense is trying to do is explain what's in this guy's mind, the intent. what is he thinking at the time. but every action that's admitted by the defendant is planning and plotting this killing. but the question is, if he believes he was justified in his own mind, an honest belief that i need to kill this doctor to prevent the death of all these unborn children, then maybe, maybe he can convince one, two, 12 jurors. first they have got to convince

the judge that there's enough evidence to let the jury come to that conclusion. >> roeder was asked under what circumstances would abortion be justified. here was his answer. >> are you aware of differing views on the practice of abortion. >> yes. >> are you aware that some people make exceptions for abortions? >> yes. >> that people who are opposed to it would make exceptions is what i'm referring to. >> yes. >> do you believe that there are exceptions to abortions? >> i think the only exception, which i even struggle with, is the life of the mother and if it has been determined that absolutely the life of the mother is in danger and would die. i struggle with that decision because i believe it ultimately is up to our heaven ly father, but if there was a time, that would be it. >> you're saying if a medical diagnosis that the mother would

die if she remained pregnant? >> yes, with at least two opinions. the more the better. >> what about if the mother's health was going to be affected in some other way short of death? >> i can't see where that would justify an abortion. >> nor would rape or incest or anything else. this was a fairly orderly proceeding but at several points, three or four, the judge admonished the witness and also told the jury to strar roeder's outburst in which he talked about a procedure tearing a baby born limb from limb. how can a jury process all of these admonitions from the judge not to hear, not to pay attention to? >> obviously once you ring a bell, you know, you hear it and you can't unring it. but the jury is not supposed to consider that in their deliberations. and i think it's a balance. you know, if the defendant keeps saying things that he knows that he's not supposed to say and the objections, you know, are upheld by the judge, then, you know,

maybe the jury gets the message that, hey, the defense is doing something they're not supposed to be doing here. the bottom line is he wants to get in front of this jury dr. tiller's practice, what he did, what it actually is, the procedure and all that sort of description. the judge is not going to let him go there. because the judge has been so clear on this. this is not about abortion. but for this defendant and this defense, it really is. >> has he made any reversible errors in your view, the judge? >> no. this judge has been so thoughtful. one of the things that he's done, he's been very clear in what he is allowing. and he's saying, listen, yeah, you can attempt to prove your defense. it's an imperfect defense, but a defense of voluntary manslaughter. i'll allow you to put evidence on to try to prove that. then at the end of your case, if i believe there's enough evidence, i'll let the jury make the decision if this is first-degree murder or voluntary manslaughter, but i haven't made that decision yet. let me see what you can produce. >> gotcha. appreciate it. so scott roeder appears on the

stand again in about an hour's time. thank you. appreciate it. one of the country's most influential authors has died. j.d. salinger's son said the author died at his home in new hampshire of natural causes. teens all over the world identified with his themes. holden caufield was the pro tag nis in that novel. j.d. salinger dead at 91. right now the president and vice president are attending a town hall meeting at the university of tampa. the president is underscoring what he calls his number one focus, jobs. he's following up on last night's state of the union address by unveiling $8 billion in funding for new high-speed rail projects across the country. most of the money will be spent in eight states for new or upgraded railroads capable of supporting faster trains, like europe has. the president says high-speed rail will generate jobs. he is linking several of his initiatives to pumping up employment. they include small business tax

cuts and support for clean energy. creating jobs was the dominant theme of the state of the union address. a cnn opinion research corporation poll finds 78% of those who watched the speech had a positive reaction. 48% very positive, 30% somewhat positive. the sample of speech watcher was 38% democratic, 25% republican. gay rights activists welcomed his pledge to end the military's don't ask, don't tell policy but they're not happy he's taking this long to keep a promise he made during the 2008 campaign. >> this year i will work with congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> a pentagon spokesman said the joint chiefs are working on a plan to end don't ask, don't tell. the military commanders, as you may have noticed, did not react to the president's pledge during the speech, although defense secretary robert gates gave it a

standing ovation. republican senator john mccain did not. >> don't ask, don't tell has been a very effective policy and one that has worked. the evidence of that is the best trained, best equipped, most professional military we've ever had. and i just think it would be a very serious mistake when we're in two wars to make an abrupt policy change. >> so what do you think, should gays be allowed to openly serve in the military? is this the right thing to do? is it the right time? we're fighting two wars. or is this something that should have been in place all the time? and from the earliest time? call us toll-free 877-tell-hln. e-mail at cnn.com/hln. supreme court justice samuel alito did not agree with part of the president's address last night. he can be seen mouthing the words "not true" when the president criticized last week's

5-4 ruling on campaign financing. with the justices looking on, the president said, and we quote, it will open the flood gates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to influence u.s. elections. criticizing another branch of government during the state of the union address was a breach of political etiquette and supreme court justices rarely express any hint of emotion or opinion during these addresses. a truck wreck in istanbul, turkey, caught on tape and this video is unbelievable. what happened when the truck went under a bridge with its dumper open.

it may sound unplooefbeliev but a 16-year-old girl was found

alive in the rubble of haiti's earthquake. rescuers think she was trapped the full 15 days. she was found in the bathroom so they think she had access to water. a group of people heard a faint noise under the rubble. rescuers say she was severely dehydrated and barely had a pulse and might not have lived even a few more hours had they not found her when they did. another quake survivor gave his son a surprise here in the states. former nba play olden polynice is a native of haiti and went on the dr. phil show to talk about what it's been like to try to locate relatives there after the disaster. here's what happened. >> i am what i am because of my dad and my mom, so everybody is going through it right now, but it's just really tough. >> well, it's a whole other world because you haven't actually seen him for like three years. >> yes. >> and although it was good to see him on satellite, of course. >> it was. and, you know, i just can't wait -- like our thing right now is with my mom because most of my family members are on my mom's side.

my dad was an only child. and so everybody else is on her side, so my mother, you know, she's not in the best of health. so we've been trying to make sure that she stays calm and just watch out for her. >> you never get too old for your dad to be your dad. >> i can't wait to see him and give him a big hug. >> well, it's funny you say that. let's not wait to see him. >> you watch that five times and it's just as effective the fifth time. what an amazing moment. polynice only found out last week that his father survived the quake. a horrible wreck is caught on security camera right as it happens. take a look at video from turkey. a big truck coming down the

road. the dumpster raised and crashes through a pedestrian bridge. there is a person coming down with all that debris, by the way. the pedestrian survived with serious injuries. the driver told police the dumper accidentally lifted up while he was driving. whole foods has a reputation for offering customers healthier fare. now the supermarket chain wants to reward its healthier workers. how it decides who's healthier and what you have to say about it.

john edwards' former aide says he found something shocking when he was cleaning out his house. andrew young is about to release a book with the edwards' sex scandal and his role covering it the up in the 2008 presidential campaign. that included young claiming that a videographer's child with edwards was really his, in fact moving her into his house with his family to continue the ruse. when rielle hunter moved out, young tells abc news she left behind some videotapes. >> there was one tape that was marked special, and we're just aghast. it's a sex tape of rielle and

john edwards made just a couple of months before the iowa caucuses. it's amazing the tape exists. that's unbelievable. but to leave it in a house that's for sale where realtors are going to be coming through it and leave it there for eight months is unbelievable. >> young also claims edwards got infuriated with hunter when found out she was pregnant and wanted her to have an abortion. we've reached out to both edwards and hunter about the claims. we're still waiting for comment. whole foods is giving its healthier employees a bigger discount at the supermarket chain. aol news says in a letter to staffers leaked to the website gawker.com the ceo of whole foods explains the team member healthy discount incentive this way. workers will be divided into four groups based on specific criteria, like nicotine use, blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index. those ranked platinum will get a 30% discount at the store. workers who are ranked in the lowest bronze range will get 22%

off. and a staffer who doesn't do any health screenings at all will still get the customary 20% employee discount. ceo john mackey says whole foods' goal toys cut employee health care costs. many criticized him last year for a "wall street journal" editorial when he said health care is not a human right. what do you think about rewarding healthier employees with fatter discounts? richelle carey is here to share your views. >> people are pretty split, chuck, i don't know. it's an interesting concept. some people say this is a great incentive. others think it is just downright insulting. all right, so let's take a look at comments from my facebook page. megan raises a point that a lot of people are making that whole foods might be rewarding the wrong people. this is what she wrote. i understand the smoking part, okay. but being overweight, some people can't help that. maybe if they'd give the overweight people the incentives, then maybe they would be able to start getting healthier. eating healthy is not cheap.

and bob kind of likes that point. bob wrote this. shouldn't the people that have the worst habits get the biggest discounts so they can eat healthy? all right, not bad. let's talk about this. doug is calling us from new york. doug, you see the pros and cons in this and you also think that the store might get in a little bit of trouble. make your case. >> caller: well, i do. first i'll say that we have a major chain here in our city that incents both employees and customers. it's called fit for life. if you follow a healthy eating plan and so on and so forth, there are rewards for that. so that kind of ties into your e-mail there. i do believe that the ceo needs to be extremely careful. heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure have been linked by a growing body of medical knowledge and research to inherited genetics. what do you do for somebody who's really trying very, very

hard to be healthy, but they can't help it because of the genetics. are they going to be left out because they're taking blood pressure medicine? if they are, they're being unfairly targeted or eliminated. >> it does seem -- i'm not an attorney. it does seem that they could be on a little bit of shaky ground there. are you an attorney? >> caller: no, i'm not. i've had a lot of experience with the law in corporate situations. >> so if they could clear hurdles like that, do you like the thinking behind it? >> caller: i do. but i think you have to be very, very careful when you initiate programs like this so that you don't unfairly profile or target individuals for something they can't help. >> thanks, doug. good talk there. >> caller: thanks a lot. >> we also took our views cam outside to kind of gauge the reaction. listen to roscoe. >> i can understand why whole foods would say 40% for a person that is a person who is fit. they want to maintain a certain

image. i can understand why they want to do it. but i don't agree with it. i think it's discriminatory to 20% discount to someone just average. that seems kind of wrong. >> we want your views. this is a view from archie. he said i think it is a very good thing anytime an employer takes the lead in offering their employees an opportunity to truly better themselves by getting fit and eating right. i think this is the correct way to change behaviorbehaviors. ramona, they're not punishing unhealthy people, they are rewarding the ones taking care of themselves. we want to know your view. call us, is this plan that whole foods is talking about, is this incentive for people to get healthy? sometimes people still have a drink, or still smoke, or just can't lose weight. you can call 1-877-tell-hln. or the e-mail address is cnn.com/hln. text views and your names and comments to hlntv.

standard text rates apply. join the conversation on my facebook page and chuck and christi's page as well. i'm not sure i would get the highest discount possible. >> i don't know. i think your bmi is fine, if you don't mind me saying so. doug is right, though, some people are genetically -- >> yes, he did. the orlando reports says there's no money in the proposal for the con sell lags program. the expensive aris rocket will also be a goner. instead, according to insiders, the white house will direct nasa to focus more on earth science projects like researching climate change. but the obama administration is not saying completely good-bye to the international space station. a teen mom dropped her child off at day care and didn't come back for seven days. what happened when she finally

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he said he honestly believes he's justified in putting a gun to a doctor's head and pulling the trigger. scott roeder taking the stand and saying why it's all about saving unborn babies. >> i think he really gave us a lot of hope. >> i would not want to be in his shoes. for anything. >> joe carter hits the streets to find out how you think president obama's doing so far. a former aide of john edwards is releasing a tell-all book about the two-time presidential candidate. what the book reveals about edwards' marriage, his affair with a campaign staffer, and how he reacted when he found out his mistress was pregnant. i hope this thursday has been treating you well. i'm christi paul. welcome to "headline news and views." one of the countries' most read and least interviewed writers has died. j.d. salinger's son said the author of i'm the catcher and the rye "i died at him new

hampshire home of natural causes. teenagers all over the world still identify with him. a few novels and short stories followed, but salinger became more and more reclusive. he published nothing after 1965. dead at the age of 91 today. it is scott roeder's turn on the witness stand in wichita explaining why he put a handgun to dr. george tiller's head and pulled the trigger. court is in recess right now. but earlier, roeder testified that his religious beliefs mandated that he stop late-term abortions. he admitted from the witness stand he was trying to stop george tiller from killing unborn babies. >> all of the testimony that's presented, regarding the fact that you were the individual that performed that act, you

agree with? >> that is correct. >> you accept that as fact? >> yes. >> prosecution witnesses described how they watched in horror as tiller was gunned down at his church while he was serving as a sunday usher. we'll have more live coverage when court resumes most likely at the bottom of the hour. the parents of morgan harrington said they will wait to bury their daughter because the medical examiner has their daughter. her body was found near charlottesville, virginia. she disappeared back in october. the parents think the person responsible is from the area. >> this is not a random place that someone came upon accidently. this is known to someone here. we now need to find the person who did this. and we will not stop until that person is brought to justice. >> officials are investigating her death as a homicide obviously.

it may be a tip authorities have been looking for in the search for missing 7-year-old aja johnson. a white toyota was found in oklahoma city. police say that kind of car belonged to her mom, tonya hobbs. hobbs was found dead in an rv about 100 miles outside oklahoma city. prosecutors have already charged her estranged husband, lester hobbs, with first-degree murder. they say she was beaten to death. he's not in custody. she apparently had sought a court order against him, though, claiming he threatened to kill her. he's also charged now with kidnapping little aja and the girl's grandmother told an oklahoma paper she's terrified hobbs has already killed the little girl. she said he hated aja and was very mean to her. it may sound unbelievable, i know, but look at this. a 16-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble of haiti's earthquake yesterday. we're told she's doing much better today, even eating soft foods now.

rescuers believed she was trapped for 15 days, though. she was found in the bathroom of her house. rescuers think she did have access to water. they found her after a group of people said they could hear a voice in that rubble. rescuers say she was severely dehydrated and barely had a pulse. they say she might not have lived even a few more hours had they not found her when they did. extraordinary, isn't it? live pictures from florida right now, where you see president obama and vice president biden there as well. they're attending a town hall meeting at the university of tampa. the president is underscoring what he calls his number one focus, jobs. >> we didn't seek this office to push our problems off, or take the easy road through the next election. we ran to solve problems. problems that have been nagging at america for decades. we want to solve them for the next generation. we ran to get the tough stuff

done. [ applause ] so as i mentioned last night, i make no apology for trying to fix stuff that's hard. >> the president is following up on last night's state of the union address, of course, as he mentioned there by unveiling $8 billion in funding for new high-speed rail projects. the president's linking several of his initiatives to pumping up employment. they include small business tax cuts, and support for clean energy. creating jobs was the dominate theme of his state of the union address. a research corporation poll finds 78% of those who watched the speech had a positive reaction of a sample of speech watchers was 38% democratic, 25% republican. 48% say their reaction was very positive. 30% say somewhat positive. here's what some voters were saying right after the address. >> the first thing that he said into the speech was, i want a

jobs bill on the table, i want things to be done immediately. the one thing i saw from him was concreteness. i was happy about that. >> i liked his speech. he said many good things. i would love to see him be able to do what he said he can do. but what was running back through my mind is, how? how is 4e going to do that? >> president bem admits there have been rough patches since he took office in january of '09. americans are giving the president a report card on his freshman year. >> i'm joe carter and this is hln's views from the street. qupt obama's been in office for one year. how do you think he's doing? >> i think he really gave us a lot of hope. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> i think there's been a lot of pressure put on him to have a magic pill. which there's not going to be, of course. >> you're happy with the progress one year in 1234. >> i am.

>> i'm over the poverty level. i don't think he's addressed that level since from the time he was trying to get in office until today. >> what i like for some things to have moved along a little bit better, like health care, absolutely. i never thought i would be in a job where i didn't have health insurance. but that's where i am now. >> i think it's just been overwhelming, you know, with the money he wants to spend on health care now, and the jobs that it could cost by forcing small businesses to do certain things. it's going to cost jobs instead of save jobs. >> reporter: do you think he's done a good job in one year? >> considering the mess he had left to him, he's doing all right. kind of overspending, but -- all we can do is spend our way out of it, huh? >> reporter: do you think obama's done a good job? show of hands? you don't think he's done a good job? >> no. >> i think everyone was expecting him to come into office and flip a switch and change everything. people who are realistic would

understand that's not something that can happen overnight. >> do you believe obama's the right person for the job? >> no. but he's what we've got for three more years. we've got to support the president. >> reporter: i'm joe carter, and i'll see you on the street.

japanese researchers say they have a solution to the overfishing of mediterranean bluefin tuna. they offer a program that lets farmer successfully breed and raise the bluefin and then ship the restaurant out to restaurants worldwide. >> reporter: today's catch, bluefin tuna, prized for its buttery flesh, it will soon become gourmet sushi. they're not from the deep ocean,

but from huge ponds just off of japan's shores. and in a major leap for aqua culture researchers, these fish were hatched from eggs and raised in these pens. completely farmed from beginning to end for three generations now, says this woman. we have to leave nature intact, he says, because if we take too much from it, we won't be able to eat wild tuna. they'll be gone. the bluefin population has plummeted globally. they predict it will be wiped out by 2012. all due to massive overfishing to fill the appetite of gourmet diners. >> greenpeace says farm-raised bluefin tuna says is not the answer because they fish other wild fish. gay rights activists welcomed president obama's pledge to end the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. but they're not happy about taking so long to keep the

promise he made during the 2008 campaign. >> this year i will work with congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> a pentagon spokesman said the joint chiefs are working on a plan to end the don't ask, don't tell. you saw them there, they didn't react to the president's pledge during his speech. but defense secretary robert gates gave it a standing ovation. join the conversation here as we talk about how you feel regarding president obama and what he had to say about gays in the military. it's our "your views" question today. a lot of you like the plan, but we want to get both sides here. tamara, i understand you're a veteran, so i want to thank you for your service. how do you see this? >> caller: i think the current policy of don't ask, don't tell is sufficient enough to allow

gays to do their part in serving their country. i believe the don't ask, don't tell should stand, because of this openly gay serving might invite more of a distraction from the mission than anybody realizes. with the constant complaints, you know, trying to get the person to comply with dress code, grooming standards, you know, them understanding that they won't be coddled, they'll still have to meet the requirements. and i'm not sure if they wouldn't escape trying to comply with the standards by complaining that they're being discriminated against. so as it stands, they can serve now, and that should be sufficient. i believe they're welcome to serve. it helps us meet our recruitment goals. but as far as the openly gay, i think it's opening up problems that the military doesn't have the time to address. >> but do you think, tamara, that saying they would allow

openly gay people in the military, that that would actually open the way for them to display how they feel necessarily? or is it just a matter of the comfort level for everybody else there? >> caller: it depends on how you read that text "openly gay." if it means the flamboyantly gay like the tequila lesbian, then i don't think it would serve the uniform well. i believe the respect for the uniform would go down. how we're seen by other nations. it would be affected, impacted. as long as the understanding was there, that, they're to comply with the standards, the dress code, the grooming standards, and everything else that all the other military members have to comply with, then welcome aboard. >> okay. that's kind of what i was getting at. thank you so much. again, thank you for your service. i want to go to jackie in new mexico. jackie, i understand you, too, are a retired military member. i want to thank you for your service as well. but i understand you see this differently than tamara.

>> caller: yes, ma'am. i think that anyone that's in the military, we don't know who we're sitting next to. it may be a gay person you're sitting next to, but who cares, as long as they step up to the plate when duty calls. we wear our uniform, some people's uniforms are too tight, some of them are -- they're way too big. but we have standards. and the army's got to enforce those standards. i don't think anybody in the -- we have gays in the military, they don't walk around with fingernail polish on or we don't even know they're gay. >> so the standards for gays in the military aren't any different basically is what you're saying? they can still be -- they could still have to follow the same regulations? >> caller: yes, ma'am. nobody -- now, i'm saying there are gays in the military. we don't know just by looking at us in uniform, you don't know if they're gay or not. i'm not gay, but -- >> sure. but is there an uncomfort level amongst people in the military, as there is anywhere with some

people, if they know that somebody is of gay orientation? >> caller: you know, at one time there was a first african-american in the military. people were uncomfortable. there was at one time there was the first female in the military. people were uncomfortable. they're uncomfortable with things they don't know anything about. but they will get over it. >> jackie, very insightful. thank you so much, to both tamara and jackie, for sharing your thoughts and your service as well. we appreciate it. and i want to throw it out to you and ask you to chime in on this. what do you think, should gays be allowed to openly serve in the military? call us at 1-877-tell-hln. you can e-mail us, too, at cnn.com/hln. or facebook us, christi paul, hln.

john edwards' former aide is about to release a book regarding the sex scandal and his role covering it up during the 2008 presidential campaign. brooke anderson is in hollywood. i understand you're looking into all of these claims tonight on "showbiz tonight," including what is this about the alleged sex tape? >> reporter: yeah, we're looking into that claim, and so much more, christi. just when you thought that john edwards' sex scandal could not get any more sordid, it does. edwards' former aide is about to release a tell-all book titled "the politician." he makes stunning claims including the sex tape, saying he and his wife were cleaning

their house after riell hunter moved out and they made an appalling discovery. listen to what young told abc news which aired on "good morning america." >> there was one tape marked special. and we're just aghast. it's a sex tape of riell and john edwards. made just a couple of months before the iowa caucuses. it's amazing that the tape exists. that's unbelievable. but to leave it in a house that's for sale where realtors are going to be coming through it and leaving it there for eight months is unbelievable. >> reporter: riell hunter is the mother of edwards' 22-month-old daughter. bhi question is this, if this tape does exist, could edwards get any sleazier. and the answer is, mm-hmm. if young's next claim is true. because he talks about how edwards reacted when he first heard that his mistress riell hunter was pregnant. listen. >> he was cussing her out,

calling her crazy, and saying that she had sworn to him that she was physically unable to get pregnant. and he felt like he had been set up. the senator tried to convince her to have an abortion. he tried to convince me to convince riell to have an abortion. and -- >> did you try to convince her? >> no. he was furious with me for that. >> reporter: yeah, so, christi, he chose not to pressure riell hunter into having an abortion. and as he said, john edwards was infuriated with him for that. >> this just baffles me. does young talk about how they even thought they could allegedly pull off passing young off as the father rather than edwards? and you think, young must have been pretty loyal to even consider it. >> reporter: oh, absolutely. we know that young claimed paternity to try to cover it up for john edwards. and young said that that was the ultimate sacrifice he made for john edwards, a person that he revered for a long time. but he also revealed this.

he said that john edwards told him to "get a doctor to fake the dna results and to steal a diaper from the baby so he could secretly do a dna test to find out if this was indeed his child." it just gets more and more despicable. there's a new john edwards statement from abc news that's brief. "it is an extraordinarily sad moment, but i love my children more than anything and still care deeply about elizabeth." we're going to have more on this story tonight on "showbiz tonight," including could this purported sex tape actually go public. 11:00 p.m. eastern and pacific right here on hln. we'll see you then. >> let's hope not. >> reporter: i know. i certainly don't want -- yeah. >> i'm with you. thank you so much, brooke. with do need to adhere that john edwards has had a probe into his campaign funds. edwards' aide, young, who wrote this book, has also made appearances there as well. stay close. ererererererererererr

so good to have your company today. one of the country's most read and least interviewed writers has died, j.d. salinger. the author of "the catcher in the rye" died at his home of natural causes. teenagers all over the world still identify with the alienated anti-hero. few novels and short stories followed but salinger became more and more reclusive. he published nothing after 1965. but j.d. salinger dead at the age of 91 today. scott roareder's turn on the witness stand in wichita. he explained why he put a handgun to dr. george tiller's head and pulled the trigger. earlier roeder testified his religious beliefs mandated he stop late-term abortions. he admitted from the witness stand that he killed dr. tiller to save unborn babies. >> sir, what are your feelings on the practice of abortion?

>> from conception forward, it is murder. it is not a man's job to take life, or it is our heavenly's father, he is our creator. he gives and takes life. it's never up to men to take life. only in cases of self-defense or defense of others. >> prosecution witnesses described how they watched in horror as tiller was gunned down at his church while he was serving as a sunday usher. we're going to have more live coverage of roeder's trial as soon as it resumes. right now, though, in florida, we have live pictures of president obama. vice president biden is also there. at a town hall meeting at the university of tampa, the president's underscoring what he calls his number one focus. jobs. >> we didn't seek this office to push our problems off or take the easy road through the next election.

we ran to solve problems. problems that have been nagging at america for decades. we want to solve them for the next generation. we ran to get the tough stuff done. [ applause ] so as i mentioned last night, i make no apology for trying to fix stuff that's hard. >> the president's following up on last night's state of the union address by unveiling $8 billion in funding for new high-speed rail projects. the president said they will generate jobs. and president obama's linking several initiatives to include small business tax cuts and support for clean energy. creating jobs, though, is the dominant theme of his state of the union address. a 78% of those who watched the speech had a positive reaction. 48% say the reaction was very positive. 30% say somewhat positive. the sample of speech watchers

was 38% democratic and 25% republican. here are what voters were saying right after the address, though. >> the first thing that he said into the speech was, i want a jobs bill on the table, tax kret for businesses, these things to be done immediately. one thing i saw was concreteness, and i was happy about that. >> he said many good things. i would love to see him be able to do what he said he can do. but what was running back through my mind was, how. how is he going to do that. >> gay rights activists welcomed president obama's pledge to end the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, but they're not happy he's taking so long to keep the promise he made during the 2008 campaign. >> this year i will work with congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> a pentagon spokesman said the joint chiefs are working on a

plan to end don't ask, don't tell. you see the military commanders didn't really react to the president's pledge during the speech. defense secretary robert gates gave it a standing ovation. we'd like you to let us know your thoughts on this. should gays be allowed to openly serve in the military? is this the right time to do the -- to do this right now while we're fighting two wars? or is this something that should have always been in place in the first place? call us at 1-877-tell-hln, or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln, or facebook us, christi paul hln. john edwards' former aide said he found something shocking when he was cleaning his house. andrew young is about to release a book about the edwards sex scandal and his role covering it up during the 2008 presidential campaign. now, that included young claiming a videographer's child with edwards was his, and moving her into his house. with his family. when rileal hunter moved out, young told abc news she left behind some videotapes.

>> there was one tape marked "special." and we're just aghast. it's a sex tape of rielle and john edwards, made just a couple of months before the iowa caucuses. it's amazing the tape exists. that's unbelievable. but to leave it in a house that's for sale where realtors are going to be coming through it and leave it there for eight months is unbelievable. >> young also claims edwards was infuriated when hunter -- with hunter when he found out she was pregnant and wanted her to get an abortion. we should add, edwards has acknowledged a federal probe into his campaign finances and hunter sometimes with their child has been spotted at a federal courthouse in raleigh, north carolina. edwards' aide, young, who wrote this book, again, has also made appearances there. the parents of morgan harrington say they'll wait to bury their daughter because the medical examiner still has her

body. harrington's remains were found earlier this week on an isolated cattle farm near charlottesville, virginia. she disappeared back in october. her parents think the person responsible is from the area. and as you can imagine, this is a really difficult time for them. >> for the first time in 101 days, i am not thinking every minute, what is he doing to my daughter now. it's clear, as you see us, our sorrow is etched in our faces. our pain has been carved into our hearts. and i will tell you, having seen that girl even had some lovely bones. we will move on. we will find a way to be a family of three. >> officials still do not know

how harrington died. but they're investigating her death as a homicide. this may sound unbelievable, but a 16-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble of haiti's earthquake yesterday. we're told she's doing much better now, even eating soft foods. rescuers believe she was trapped for 15 days. she was found in the bathroom of her house so rescuers believe she had access to water. they found her, though, after people said they could hear a voice in the rubble. rescuers said she was severely dehydrated and barely had a pulse. they said she might not have lived even a few more hours if they had not found her when they did. he says he will kill the person responsible for taking his little girl. what else he's saying from jail.

toyota has expanded its recall to include another 1.1 million vehicles which brings the total of recalled vehicles since november to more than 7 million. the latest recall adds to the 4 million cars toyota recalled last fall to fix a problem in win the gad pedal gets caught in the floor mat. separate from last week's recall of 2.3 million vehicles, where gas pedals that get stuck sometimes causing the car to accelerate even after you take your foot off the gas. authorities in virginia may have found the body of a missing 2-year-old boy. a small child's body was found in a roanoke landfall yesterday. police are waiting for the medical examiner to determine if it is 2-year-old aveion lewis. he disappeared two weeks ago. the body was found in trash that came from his neighborhood. his stepdad first told police three men kidnapped the boy.

but police say it never happened and think aveion was dead before anyone called 911. lock is in jail facing several charges, including improper disposal of a human body. the father of a missing 6-year-old girl said he will kill anyone who killed his little girl. detectives wasted no time in asking him about his missing daughter haleigh. cummings didn't hold back asking about what he would do to the personal responsible for taking her. >> kill him. i'm telling you, i ain't changed my mind not a bit. i don't care if they get me with injustifiable homicide. i don't care. it doesn't matter to me. it will be worth life without parole, or the death penalty or whatever. >> haleigh disappeared last february from her florida home. cummings' ex-wife was the last person to see her and she was arrested with him in the same drug bust. investigators think she knows more about haleigh's

disappearance than she's letting on. 6-year-old madyson jamison and her parents have been missing since october. as part of our week-long effort to help find missing children -- >> reporter: madyson was a very fun-loving, playful little girl. she liked dressing up. loved playing with the family dog. loved dressing up in princess and fairy costumes. a typical little girl. >> why would they leave -- as i understand it, it was a significant amount of money left in the car. why would they leave that in the car? >> reporter: we're not sure. apparently they were in the area scouting to build a home there on the property. they were looking to purchase the property. i guess they wanted to build a home built out of shipping containers. they -- we think that they were working with a realtor. but there's a chance they were also working indirectly with the property owner. >> both clues from the scene, tips from the public, are at a

premium here, which is why we're asking for your help. if you have any information that may lead to the resolution of this troubling case, please call 1-800-the-lost, or click www.missingkids.com. and thank you so much for doing so.

earlier we told you that the president is asking for the repeal of the don't ask, don't tell policy in the armed forces. it would allow gays to openly serve in active service. we want to know what you feel about what president obama has had to say about this. it's our "your views" question today. i'd love to hear from you. go ahead and join us. rose posted this saying, i do not think the don't ask, don't tell should be done away with. i'm married to someone serving in the navy. i've heard the stories about what these men who haven't come out as gay have gone through. i am all for gay rights. i have a lot of gay friends. but the don't ask, don't tell is more about protecting these men and women than taking their rights away. brittany wrote saying, what's sad is in a way it's for their

own safety because people can be so cruel. america needs to open their eyes to all men are created equal. bad idea, home oh sex yult should be kept a secret in the mid tear. ed is calling us from illinois right now. how do you see this? >> caller: i see it as an unfair policy. 60 years ago we had a segregated military that didn't allow african-americans to serve. and that harmed us. and i think we have people who are gay in uniform. and, you know, i was a noncommissioned officer. i am straight and i don't see a problem with this. it's the character of the service and the abilities of the people bringing to the job, not who they choose to sleep with or be married to. >> so ed, what do you say to the argument it's for their own protection? >> caller: we have regulations. and we have noncommissioned officers. i already had to counsel people while i was serving in the

military not to make anti-gay or racist remarks. so the regulations provide people aren't supposed to behave like that to begin with. so we enforce the regulations. if we open up this, then we have to acknowledge that there's going to be some changes in there, and some difficulty. but it's the right thing to do, to honor these people's character of service to their country. they're americans, too, and they give their lives, too. >> ed, calling from illinois, thank you for your service and sharing your perspective on that. we really appreciate it. ron is calling now from nevada. ron, give us your viewpoint. >> caller: hi. well, i was in the military, and i have nothing against gays, but i think that if the president changes the laws that we have now, i think if it's not broken, don't fix it. >> some people would say that it is broken. >> caller: i don't really agree with that. >> because? >> caller: we had a problem that

an officer had an affair with an enlisted man, i think that could interfere with the chain of command. >> what about the argument, year ago, you had the first african-american was openly acknowledged and brought into the military. and people just had to get used to it. that was the way it was back then. and that we've evolved since then. would it not be the same for gays in the military? >> caller: i think it would be different. i certainly served with black african-americans, and we had no problems at all. we were friends. but this is a sexual thing where people are close together. they live together. they sleep together. i really think that it would harm the morale of our military. i do not think that the president has any military experience, and, therefore, should not start changing things. thank you. >> ron, thank you so much for sharing your opinion, and thank you for your service as well. jessica wrote to us, too, saying, i believe it should stay

the same because there are too many people in the world who are against gays and lesbians, i myself believe everyone has a right to serve the country regardless of whether they are straight or gay. logan wrote, gays should not even bother searching in the military until they're given the same rights as the straight men and women who fight for their rights. why die for a country that does not see you as an equal. thank you all so much for letting your voices be heard here. we love to hear from you. i'd like to invite the rest of you to please get in on the conversation. should gays be allowed to openly serve in the military? call us at 1-877-tell-hln. or e-mail us at cnn.com/hln. or facebook us, christi paul hln, richelle carey and chuck roberts have pages as well. golfer phil mickelson said no one can fill the shoes of tiger woods. mickelson is the number two golfer now but claimed the number one spot of course at this moment since woods has taken a break. mickelson says needs tiger back. mickelson expects this year to

be one of the best of his career whether woods returns or not. he says he had limited communication for the woods family. he is eager for his friend and rival to return to the sport he understands he is dealing with personal issues. >> the game of golf needs him to come back. it is important for him to come back and be a part of the sport. right now he has a lot of more important things going on. amy and i are friends with tiger and elin and care deeply about how this turns out. i'm going to choose not to talk about it publicly anymore. >> woods has been on leaf since november. if you put money on whether tiger woods would play in the masters toirmt, a british bookie has cutted the odds to one in four. initially he had given four and six odds woods would be back in time for the april tournament. he took 224 bets from all over

the world and 217 of them are woods will play. a man in taos, new mexico, was working on his car when it fell on his chest. he thought he was going to die. he was able to reach his cell phone and call for help. an officer arrived and called for backup and they lifted the car off him. >> okay, guys, we need to get the car up. okay. get him out. pull him out. >> i just want to say thank you to them for helping me out. >> we knew if we tried to pick that car up again we wouldn't be able to do it. >> officers say a passerby helped them and then left. they have no idea who he was. an omaha mom dropped her infant off at day care and now she is charged with neglect. why the day care says this woman is an unfit mother.

he says he honestly believes he is justified in putting the gun to the head of a doctor and pulling the trigger. scott roeder on the stand in kansas explaining why it was all about saving unborn babies. >> i think he gave us hope. i'm happy with the progress. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. joe carter hits the streets to find out how you think the president is doing. a woman in georgia couldn't stand seeing kids waiting at the bus stop, no hat, no scarf and literally took matters into her own hands. scott roeder is on a witness stand in wichita testifying in his own defense and publicly admitting he shot and killed dr. george tiller on may 31st last year to, in his view, save the

lives of unborn babies. jean casaras joins us from "in session" what have we learned since testimony resumed. >> reporter: scott roeder just said he realized that dr. george tiller wore a bullet proof vest, lived in a gated community, had security guards around him at all times. the only way he thought he could kill him was at church. he went there on the 24th but he wasn't there so he intentionally went back on the 31st. he said he believed he had to do it because no one else was going to do. it was to protect the lives of unborn children. 22 hours later those unborn children would begin to be killed again. someone had to stop him. >> if the jury believes roeder planned this methodically, is

voluntary manslaughter available to them as a verdict? >> it could be available as a lesser included offense. it depends on the evidence. if the judge believes there is substantial evidence. up with key factor is immense. the death of another had to be imminent. he is trying to testify saying 22 hours later unborn babies would be dead. is that imminence according to the law? a lot believe it is not. >> we have some sound. what are we about to hear? >> reporter: this is scott roeder testifying in his own defense unreasonable but honest belief he did what he had to do. >> do you believe there are exceptions to abortions? >> i think the only exception, which i even struggle with, is the life of the mother and if it has been determined that absolutely the life of the mother is in danger and would die. i struggle with that decision

because i believe it ultimately is up to our heavenly father, but if there was a time that would be it. >> so jean, has the judge pretty much stuck to the script about how and how often abortion could be discussed? >> reporter: this trial right now is fully about abortion. scott roeder is on the stand to form that honest belief he had. almost every other word he has used is abortion. it is plagued by objections the entire way, plagued according to the defense by the prosecution. abortion is front and center in that courtroom this afternoon. >> he has admonished the witness and told the jury to disregard some of his statements. what is ahead for the state? will they call a rebuttal witness? we have seen so many shots of the family of dr. tiller in tears. would they be called during the trial or witnesses in the sentencing phase? what is your thought? >> reporter: i have definitely asked if there is going to be a

rebuttal case. my response is we don't know. when we finally get to cross-examination of scott roeder the prosecution is going to want to review every bit of evidence toward intent to kill and premeditation for this jury. i think it will be a long examination of this defendant. >> all right. jean, thank you so much. as always, couldn't do it without you. >> thank you, chuck. president obama is highlighting what he calls his number one focus, creating jobs. he followed up his state of the union address with a quick trip to tampa where he unveiled $8 billion in high-speed rail projects. he says many of his initiatives are boost aimed at boosting employment. he told the crowd at the university of tampa he still has hope for breaking the partisan gridlock in washington. >> my door remains open to good ideas from both parties. i want the republicans off the

sidelines. i want them working with us. to solve problems faces working families, not to score points. i want a partnership. what we can't do, though, here is what i'm not hope to. i don't want gridlock on issue after issue after issue when there are so many urgent problems to solve. >> republicans are not rushing forward to embrace his challenge. several prominent republicans highly critical of his message he delivered during the state of the union. >> biggest part of the speech i was disappointed with was national security which he mentioned for like it seemed to be a footnote, very little time spent, the only thing he said about national security he is going to bring the troops home from iraq in august of this year but, of course, he was going to close guantanamo by january of this year. >> the president is offering to meet with the republican congressional leaders once a month. the president admits there

have been rough patches since he took office january, 2009. joe carter is asking americans to give the president a report card. >> i'm joe carter. president obama has been in office for one year. how do you think he's doing? >> i think he gave us a lot of hope. i'm happy with the progress. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> i think there is a lot of pressure for him to have a magic pill. >> you are happy with the progress one year in? >> i am. >> i'm on the poverty level and i don't think he has addressed that level from the time he was trying to get in office until today. >> would i have liked some things to have moved on better? like health care? absolutely. i never thought i would be in a job where i didn't have health insurance but that is where i am. >> it is overwhelming w. the money he wants to spend on

health care and the jobs it could cost by forcing small businesses to do certain things. it is going to cost jobs instead of save jobs. >> do you think he has done a good job in one year? >> considering the mess he had left to him, he's doing all right. kind of overspending, but all you can do is spend our way out of it, right. >> do you think in 36 a days obama has done a good job. show of hands. three of four. you don't think he has done a good job? >> no. >> i think everyone was expecting him to come into office and flip a switch and change everything. that is not something that can happen overnight. >> do you believe obama is the right person for the job? >> no. but he's what we've got for three more years and you have to support the president. >> i'm joe carter, see you on the street. breaking news out of south florida. a plane makes an emergency

landing on alligator, alley. no word on why the pilot had to put down there. two people onboard. the plane intact. no visible evidence of fire and no one is hurt. traffic is backed up, of course, for several miles. this is the eastbound lane of i-75. the president is urging congress to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. what do you think of getting rid of don't ask, don't tell? would it help the military? would it hurt it? we'll get your views just ahead.

gay rights activists welcome the president's pledge to end the don't ask, don't tell policy which prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. they are not happy he has taken so long to keep the promise he

made in the 2009 campaign. >> this year i will work with congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> a pentagon spokesman said the joint chiefs are working hard to end the plan. the commanders are the military uniformed officers react td not at all. defense secretary robert gates gave it a standing ovation standing next to the treasury secretary. what do you feel about don't ask, don't tell? is it a good policy? richelle carey is here, what are people saying? >> most people throughout the day have said they support doing away with it. not everyone, but most people. we will show you both sides. danielle is on the phone holding from indianapolis. danielle, you think it is a bad idea to do away with this policy, why so? >> caller: i don't necessarily

have a problem with homosexuality in general, however, i don't believe it belongs in the united states military. i agree we all have rights and were created equally. a democratic senator from new york said lifting this ban on don't ask, don't tell would create a stronger and more cohesive military. i disagree with that. having gays openly discuss their sexual preference would create more of a divide amongst the troops. the primary focus needs to be serving and defending the country. >> what do you think the cause of the divide would be? what do you think would upset people about it? >> caller: i think basically it would be, you know, openly discussing their sexual preference would be distracting to a lot of people who aren't yet comfortable with this topic. homosexuality having it publicly accepted is only in the past two decades.

it is a slow process. i think it would be kind of opening up the people who actively homosexual opening up to ridicule and harassment from people not accepting of this topic. >> okay. do you foresee a time when it would be an appropriate time for the policy to change? >> caller: well, you know, it is one of those things right now there are so many things we need no work on -- >> i understand right now. do you foresee a time in the future in your opinion would be a better time. i understand you are saying not now. >> caller: oh, yes. changing reform is part of, you know, as time goes by things change and reform is a great thing. i think over time, yes, it will be something we can focus on. right now i don't think so. no. >> danielle, thank you for the conversation. got a lot of views. we got hundreds of comments.

you started commenting last night when we gave you word the president was going to talk about it. we have this from carl. carl is one of our regulars. we like carl. don't ask, don't tell was put in place to allow homosexuals to serve not ban them. i believe they should be exactly the same and soldiers should instantly change their attitudes as soon as the law is changed. realistically not going to happen. jamie says in a time we need every soldier we have and more people to serve and protect us, every year thousands of soldiers are dishonorably discharged for admitting they are gay. is this right? i believe it is not. michael says my last few years in the navy i don't remember having any sexual orientation, primary jobs, advancement

training, field exercises, weapons cleaning. truth be told there are more gays and lesbians in the service than most would imagine. michael thank you for your service and reminding us how demanding service is. >> field stripping a rifle will take your mind off a lot of things. >> right. >> robert writes i am ex-navy and would not have felt comfortable on six months tours with people who did not share my sexuality. >> i want to paraphrase, a comment i remember, there was a comment on my page from someone who said trust me, you are not that special. just paraphrasing. i told you we would share both sides. should gays be allowed to serve openly in the military. do you think this is the time to change the policy or maybe you

don't think this is the time or will never be the time. call us at 1-877-tell-hln. e-mail us about cnn.com/hln and continue the discussion on facebook if you like. a small plane has crashed into an empty lot. we have a lot of small planes going today. this is north of phoenix in a mobile home park not far from the intending landing spot. the pilot was killed. the front end of the plane is demolished. the pilot was a 24-year-old woman in a flight training program. nobody on the ground was hurt. the plane did not hit any structures. it crashed into some power lines. there is the front end of that plane, just gone. one person dead. toyota expanded its recall to include 1.1 million vehicles bringing the total number to more than 7 million. the latest recall adds to the 4 million cars toyota recalled last fall to fix a problem in

which the gas pedal is caught in the floor mat. a separate issue from last week's recall. 2.3 million vehicles. gas pedals get stuck and sometimes the car accelerates out of control even after you take your foot off the gas. haitian earthquake survivors are taking their survival into their own hands. how people in port-au-prince are grabbing whatever they can.

earthquake survivors in

haiti are looting buildings at will. police fired into the air to try to break up the crowd. within minutes hundreds are ska venging. a 16-year-old girl was found alive in the rubble yesterday. we are told she is doing better today. now eating soft food. rescuers believe she was trapped for 15 days. she was found in the bathroom of her house. a group of people noticed a faint voice in the rubble. she was dehydrated and barely had a pulse. she might not have survived a few more hours. authorities in virginia may have found the body of a missing 2-year-old boy. a small child's body was found in a roanoke land fill

yesterday. aveion lewis went missing two weeks ago. the body was found in trash that came from his neighborhood. his stepfather brandon lockett told police three men kidnapped the youngster. lockett is in jail facing several charges including improper disposal of a human body. phil mickelson says nobody can fill the shoes of tiger woods. he, mickelson is the number two golfer. mickelson expects this year to be one of the best of his career whether or not tiger woods is back. yesterday in san diego mickelson said he's had limited communication with the woods family. while he is eager for his friend and golf rival to return to the sport he understands woods is dealing with personal issues. >> the game of golf needs him to come back. it is important for him to come back and be a part of the sport.

right now he has more important things going on. amy and i are good friends with tiger and elin and care deeply how this turns out. i'm going to choose not to talk about it publicly anymore. >> woods has been on undefinite lead since news broke of his multiple infidelities last november. the loved ones of a young mother are not giving up. they decorated her home with hearts and bows. powell's husband says he saw her in december. he has moved to washington state from utah. his attorney denies police allegations he has not been fully cooperative in answering their questions. a truck wreck in istanbul is caught on tape. wait until you see this.

welcome back. scott roeder under cross-examination is getting a grilling. of course, he is, in effect, a hostile witness so the attorney for the state can ask leading questions. he is only allowed to say yes or no. he admitted from that witness stand he put a handgun to dr. george tiller's head and pulled the trigger. he argued it was his christian duty to kill the doctor who performed late-term abortions. roeder said his religion mandated stopping late-term abortions. he thought about maiming the doctor before he decided dr. tiller had to die. >> so you began to think of different ways in which you might pull this off? is that correct? just a yes or no. >> yes. >> among them is you would cut his hands off with a knife, is that correct? >> probably with a sword.

>> with a sword. did you own a sword? >> no. >> are you a swordsman? >> no. >> your intent was to chop his hands off? >> to stop him. >> you figured that wouldn't be exactly stopping him, is that right? >> yes. >> that was because he could still go on and educate and train other people. >> yes. >> you felt you needed a more permanent solution? >> yes. >> that permanent solution would be to murder dr. tiller, is that correct? >> to kill. >> prosecution witnesses described how they watched in horror as dr. tiller was killed at the church where he was serving as an usher. let's move to another story. the ongoing cross-examination of scott roeder will be followed. the parents of morgan harrington will wait to bury their daughter because the medical examiner still has her

body. she disappeared in october attending a metallica concert. her parents think the personal responsible is in that area or from that area. it is a difficult time for harrington's family. >> for the first time in 101 days i am not thinking every minute what is he doing to my daughter now? it's clear, as you see us, our sorrow is etched in our faces. our pain has been carved into our hearts. and i will tell you having seen that girl even had some lovely bones. we will move on. we will find a way to be a family of three. >> officers still don't know how harrington died. they are investigating this as a homicide. authorities are offering a $15,000 reward in the search for

missing 7-year-old aja johnson. they are looking for a white toyota paseo who belonged to her mom tanya hobbs. the mom was found dead in a trailer 100 miles outside of oklahoma city. prosecutors have charged her estranged husband with first-degree murder. they say she was beaten to death. she had a court order against him. he is charged with kidnapping the little girl. a friend says she is terrified he killed aja. in virginia authorities may have found the body of a little boy. police are waiting for the medical examiner to determine if it was 2-year-old aveion lewis. the body was found in trash that came from his neighborhood.

his stepdad brandon lockett told police three men kidnapped the kid. they think aveion was dead before anyone called 911. lockett is in jail facing several charges including improper disposal of a human body. j.d. salinger has died. the author of "catcher in the rye." teenagers still identify with him. j.d. salinger became reclusive. he published nothing after 1965. he was rarely if ever heard from. he is dead at the age of 91. gay rights activists welcome the president's call to end the don't ask, don't tell policy. they are not happy he is taking so long to keep the promise he made in the campaign. >> this year i will work with

congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve their country ney love because of who they are. >> no reaction from the uniformed brass. a pentagon spokesman said the joint chiefs are working to end the command. the commanders didn't react the secretary of defense robert gates gave it a standing ovation. john mccain did not. >> don't ask, don't tell has been a very effective policy and one that has worked. the evidence is the best trained, best equipped most professional military we've ever had. i just think it would be a very serious mistake when we are in two wars to make an abrupt policy change. >> what do you think? should gays be allowed to serve openly in the military. there will 66,000 gays and lesbians in uniform. is this the right thing to do

while we are fighting two wars or something that should have always been in place? call 1-877-tell-hln or e-mail cnn.com/h.ln. the president is highlighting what he calls the number one focus, creating jobs. he followed up his state of the union address with a trip to tampa where he unveiled $8 billion in federal funding for high-speed rail projects which will save jobs and boost employment. including small business tax cuts and support for clean energy. he told the audience at the university of tampa he has hope for breaking partisan gridlock in washington. >> my door remains open to good ideas from both parties. i want the republicans off the sidelines. i want them working with us to solve problems facing working families. not to score points. i want a partnership. what we can't do, though, here is what i'm not open to.

i don't want gridlock on issue after issue after issue when there are so many urgent problems to solve. republicans are not rushing forward to embrace the challenge. prominent republicans are critical of the message he delivered. >> the biggest part of the speech i was disappointed with was national security which he mentioned for it almost seemed to me like a footnote, an after thought. nothing substantive said. the only thing he said about national security is he is going to bring the troops home from iraq in august of this year but, of course, he was going to close guantanamo by january of this year. >> the president is offering to meet with republican congressional leaders once a month. a former aide of john edwards is telling all, releasing a book about the two-time presidential candidate. what does the book reveal? we'll hear.

a longtime aide to john edwards found something shocking when cleaning out his house. he is about to release a book about the sex scandal including young's claim that a videographer's child was, in fact, his and moving her into his house with his family. when rielle hunter moved out she left behind some videotapes. >> there was one tape that was marked special and we're just aghast. it's a sex tape of rielle and john edwards made just a couple of months before the iowa

caucuses. >> are you absolutely sure this is john edwards and rielle hunter? >> it is definitely him. you never see her face. it is a visibly pregnant woman. >> we have reached out to edwards and rielle hunter. we are waiting for a comment. edwards acknowledged a federal probe into his campaign finances and hunter sometimes with their child has been spotted at a federal courthouse in raleigh. andrew young wrote this book. he has made appearances in raleigh. whole foods is giving their healthier employees a bigger discount at their supermarket. aol said that the ceo of whole foods explains the team member healthy discount incentive program. that workers will be divided

into four groups based on specific criteria, nicotine use, cholesterol and body mass index. those ranked platinum get a 30% discount. workers in the bronze range get 22% range. staffers who refuse in-store health screenings get a 20% discount. the goal is to cut health care costs. many criticized him for a "wall street journal" report who said health care is not a human right. whole foods says "over the years providing the healthiest foods is not enough. we are deepening our commitment to healthy eating by providing education and support tools to provide interest in foods that help and maintain health and vitality. is it an incentive or insulting? take a look at our facebook pages. let's get the comment from megan. whole foods may be rewarding the

wrong people. i understand the smoking part, but being overweight, some people can't help that. maybe if they give the overweight people the incentives maybe they could start getting healthier. eating healthy isn't cheap. kyle is on the line in louisiana. >> caller: hi, how are you. >> what do you think about this? >> caller: overall it is good that whole foods is offering these discounts to their customers, i mean to their employees. the first question is it a right or not a right for a employee to be deserving of a discount. it is great the company is offering discounts. if they are going to offer discounts should it be, well, somebody mentioned the health conditions of different people. some people have a predisposition to certain things. if you choose to eat right you have a better chance of not triggering those if you eat right. so i think that it is wonderful they are offering the discount.

somebody else mentioned it is a discriminatory to offer varying amounts of discounts. anything above zero is a blessing. how can you complain about a discount you are being given. >> that's true. >> caller: one way to remedy some of that says the discount for your foods, rank all the foods in your store because you know the nutritional value in your store, cokes, beer, chips, junk food that does not add nutritional value, rank it low. fruits and vegetables, give you bigger discounts. that applies to everybody. >> i got to run. that is a great idea. justin in kansas city. what do you think? >> caller: this is on a discount on good looks than healthy living. i'm fit, i'm physically active. i work out a lot, things like that. but i still eat unhealthily.

i'm a pack a day smoker. it is not based on how people live their lives healthy, but a person's overall look. obese people that i'm sure there are obese people out there that eat healthy and don't smoke at all. >> do you work at a place that measures your body mass index? is that intrusive, in your view? >> caller: i think that is completely intrusive. i think it is up with of those things where it is unnecessary. i don't think there is a reason to really, you know, measure that because, i mean, overall the bottom line is it doesn't factor into -- >> it is not a condition of employment. it is an incentive. clearly. they have very healthy foods. it is a great store. thank you, sir. good call, justin. archie writes this is a win/win. it is a time an employer offers their employees an opportunity

to better themselves this is the correct way to change behaviors. your chance to speak to america about this plan. is it an incentive or employees to get fit or on the other side, is it somewhat disturbing, intrusive, discriminatory, call us toll free, 1-877-tell-hln. cnn.com/hln is the website. you the text views plus your comment and name to hlntv. standard text rates apply. we have facebook pages. toyota is expanding the recall of cars because of issues with the gas pedal. find out how many vehicles are affected.

check this out. a backup that stretches miles on alligator alley in south florida all because a small plane had to make an energy landing right there. this is in broward county there is the plane and remarkably intact. pretty good landing. not sure why the pilot had to put down there. everybody is okay. two people on board. the traffic in the eastbound lanes heading toward ft.

lauderdale is backed up for miles. how can you protect some of your investments? clark howard says there is one type of fund that guarantees protection. here is clark. >> if you are worried about what inflation might do to the money in your wallet, your investments, there is a way to ledge your bets. i'm not saying to put all your money into this, remember, i said hedge your bets. reduce the risk to yourself as part of what you do. the u.s. government sells something known as tips. they are inflation adjusted treasuries. it is like buying a cd from the federal government. and the big money crowd buys these direct from the government at the u.s. treasury website treasury.gov. most normal earthlings buy tips mutual funds. these funds tend to require not very much money to open it does united states has terrible

inflation, you're guarantee back the return on your money, plus the rate of inflation. so even if inflation goes crazy, you don't lose money. i'm clark howard. for more ways for you to protect that buck, check me out at cnn.com/clarkhoward. >> get great consumer advice weekends from clark, saturdays and sundays at noon and 4:00 a.4:0 4:00 p.m. eastern right here on hln. goodness, that's loud. all right, here we go. could we crank that up a little more? stocks are up about 100 points just before the even of trading. a lot of uncertainty about the economy. disappointing reports on unemployment and big ticket manufactured goods are raising new questions about how fast the economy is recovering. eight or nine minutes before the close, dow off 94 points or so, 10,139. toyota has expanded its recall to include another 1.1

million vehicles, bringing the total of recalled vehicles since november to more than 7 million. the latest recall adds to the 4 million cars toyota recalled last fall to fix a problem in which the gas pedal is caught in the floor mat, a separate issue from last week's recall, also a gas pedal issue, 2.3 million issues. the pedal gets stuck and sometimes the car accelerates out of control when you take your foot off the gas. another mission to the moon may not happen soon. the orlando sentinel reports there's no money in the budget proposal for the constellation program. its goal is to return astronauts by 2020. the white house would direct nasa to focus more on earth science projects like climate change. a georgia woman is providing warmth for the needy without spending a dime. what inspired her to help kids in her area and how she's pulling this off. óiñiñiñiñiñiñ7

he says he honestly believes he's justified in putting a gun to a doctor's head and then pulling that trigger. scott roeder takes the witness stand to explain why it was all about saving unborn babies. live pictures there. >> i think he really gave you us a lot of hope. >> i would not want to be in his shoes. for anything. >> i think a lot of people wouldn't. joe carter hits the streets to find out how you think president obama is doing. a former aide of john edwards is releasing a tell-all book about the two-time presidential candidate. what the book reveals about edwards' marriage, his affair with a staffer and how he reacted when his mistress found out she was pregnant. some unbelievable, riveting testimony. scott roeder admits on the witness stand, admits, that he killed dr. george tiller. we have been carrying a lot of

this live for you today. he is still on the stand, as you can see. now he is under cross-examination. he argues it was his christian duty to kill this doctor. dr. george tiller is from kansas. he performed late-term abortions. correspondent jean casarez joins us from our sister network "in session" with details from the courtroom. unbelievable details, jean. something like we really don't see that often. >> reporter: no. it really is. i mean, what we're hearing in this drocourtroom right now on cross-examination is someone that truly targeted another human being and the district attorney here in wichita is going step by step. richelle, according to the first-degree murder statute, the prosecution has to prove that the defendant caused the death and the defendant intended to cause the death through premeditation. well, the d.a. went back in time with the defendant and talked about some of the ways that he had thought and planned other ways to kill dr. george tiller. you're not going to believe it. take a listen.

>> so you began to think of different ways in which you might pull this off. is that correct? yes or no? >> yes. >> and among them was that you would cut his hands off with a knife. is that correct? >> probably with a sword. >> with a sword. did you own a sword? >> no. >> are you a swordsman? >> no. your intent was to chop his hands off. >> to stop him. >> but you figured that wouldn't be exactly stopping him, is that right? >> yes. >> and that was because he could still go on and educate or train other people, is that right? >> yes. >> and so you felt you needed a more permanent solution. >> yes. >> and that permanent solution would be to murder dr. tiller, is that correct? >> to kill. >> reporter: and we have also just learned where that gun was put, the gun that was never

found, the gun that was used to shoot dr. george tiller. he said that as he was drive back to kansas city that about halfway he stopped, pulled off the highway, he wrapped the gun in white cloth and buried it in a gravel dirt pile. that gun was never found, but now we finally know through that testimony on cross-examination where the gun ended up. and prosecutors will use that as conscientious of guilty. he knew what he was dog, now it was wrong. >> i picked up on the fact that he admitted to killing but not murder because murder is a legal term. really smart there on his part. what is the range with what the jury can come back with? >> reporter: you're exactly right. first-degree murder, the maximum is life in prison. after 25 years you can go before a parole board. he's 51 now. this would virtually be the rest of his life. but if the jury gets the instruction on voluntary manslaughter, if they would find him guilty of voluntary manslaughter, it's about five years in prison. so he would still be out in his 50s. >> this is fascinating

testimony. jean, thank you for the wrap-up. we appreciate it. >> thanks, richelle. >> he's still on the stand right now. investigators may have a big lead in the days peerns of missing georgia woman, christy cornwell. local media think it's connected to the attempted abduction of a north carolina woman. police got an nan muss letter who said the sketch looks like her grandson in florida. the letter said he was near the area where cornwell with was abducted and drives the same car identified in that case in north carolina. one of the activists accused of tampering with louisiana senator mary landrieu's phone is apparently trying to prove she's not in touch with her constituents. this is how the story goes. a lawyer for robert flanigan says the men weren't trying to disable or wire-tap the phones at her office but, instead, they were trying to document allegations that landrieu's staff had been ignoring phone calls that criticized her position on health care reform.

25-year-old james o'keefe was one of three men arrested with flanigan. o'keefe you probably know. he gain note right by secretly videotaping workers for the community organizing group a.c.o.r.n. in hopes of exposing wrongdoing. president obama's highlighting what he calls the number one focuses, creating jobs. he followed up his state of the union address with a trip to tampa where he unveiled $8 billion in federal funding for high-speed rail projects. the president says upgrading the transportation system will create jobs. he says many of his initiatives are aimed at boosting employment, things like including small business tax cuts and support for clean energy. creating jobs was the dominant theme of president obama's first state of the union address, but he also talked about the rest of his domestic agenda, including a new fee on the country's largest banks and also he talked about health care reform. a cnn opinion research corporation poll finds 78% of those who watched the speech had

a positive reaction with 48% saying they had a very positive reaction and 30% a somewhat positive reaction. out of the sample of people who watched the speech was 38% democratic and 25% republican. and the president admits there have been some rough patches since he took office in january of 2009. americans are giving the president a report card on his freshman year. check this out. >> reporter: i'm joe carter. this is hln's views from the street. president obama has been in office one year. how do you think he's doing? >> i think he really gave us a lot of hope. i'm happy with it so far. >> i would not want to be in his shoes for anything. >> i think there's been a lot of pressure on him to have a magic pill, which there's not going to be. >> reporter: so you're happy with the progress one year in. >> i am. >> i'm on the poverty level, and i don't think that he's addressed that level since the time he was trying to get in

office until today. >> would i like for some nings to move along a bit better, health care, absolutely. i never thought i'd be in a job where i didn't have health insurance, but that's where i am now. >> i think it's just been overwhelming with the money he wants to spend on health care now and jobs that it could cost by forcing small businesses to do certain things. it's going to cost jobs instead of save jobs. >> reporter: do you think he's done a good job in one year? >> considering the mess he had left to him, he's doing all right. kind of overspending, but all we can do is espn our way out of it, right? >> reporter: do you think in 365 obama has done a good job? show of hands. three of four. you don't think he's done a good job? >> no. >> i think everyone was expected him to come into office and flip a switch and change everything. will people who are realistic would understand that's not something that can happen overnight. >> reporter: do you believe

obama is the right person for the job? >> no. but he's what we've got for the next three years and we've got to support the president. >> reporter: i'm joe carter and i'll see you on the street. let's keep talking about some of what happened in the state of the union last night. the president is calling on on gres to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. what do you think of getting rid of the don't ask, don't tell policy? would it help, hurt? we'll hear your views on this, next.

we're hearing that defense secretary robert gates will make a major announcement about the don't ask, don't tell policy in the military. in his state of the union address last night, president obama pledged to end the policy. that would fulfill a promise he made during his campaign in 2008. >> this year i will work with

congress and our military to fee finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> striking picture there of all the military brass. the pentagon says the joint chiefs are working on a plan to end don't ask, don't tell. the military commanders as you can see they didn't react during the speech but robert gates gave it a standing ovation. we expect to hear from him next week. we want to know what you feel about this, don't ask, don't tell. we started commenting on it last night on the facebook page. most of you support the idea of repealing it. most of you, not everyone, though. we'll share a lot of different views here. we got this from michael. i'm an ex-army during vietnam. i vote no! no way at all! i never knew any gays in the army but had heard stories. i won't go into detail on here but i want my fellow soldier to

pay attention to the enemy, not me. too many lives are riding on the line. jeff says, i don't agree with repealing the don't ask, don't tell. will i'm a veteran and i know in my short time in the military if someone would have been open about their sexuality, it would have made a lot of guys going through boot camp nervous and not perform to the best of their abilities. let's talk about it on the phone. cindy is calling us from indiana. cindy, you're a military mom, yes? >> caller: yes, that's correct. >> so what is your perspective on this? >> caller: well, my son is on his second deployment, and he joined the army for eight years, four active, four inactive. his four years active he was deployed to iraq, originally for 12 months. but then they had to do an extended time for 15 months. and it's because there's not enough military -- over there. he was out for a year and four months and now they've made him

go back and he's being deployed again. >> so it seems to you that there are people that they have they're using over and over and over again. >> caller: yes. it's my opinion that it's just ridiculous to exclude any person, gays included, if they're healthy, willing and able to serve our country. our country is at war. there's terrorists trying to kill us. >> so you're saying don't do anything that you think would exclude people if someone wants to serve. bring them aboard. >> caller: right. ask any soldier or wife or mother who with has been deployed three or four times. >> cindy, thank you. and hang in there for sure. beth is calling us from nevada. beth, you think that if this policy were changed the transition would be tough. >> caller: possibly. possibly. because there's still an attitude of discrimination, and i've seen it in officers who have grown to high rank who have

been discharged because they revealed that they were homosexuals and they had exemplary service records. in my opinion, the distinction of sexual preference has not now and has never been a challenge to the honor and courage and integrity possible of a person's character. if they want to serve in the military. and i'm a military brat. my father was in the 101st airborne. he's deceased so i don't have the possibility to ask him about this, but i just feel that when anyone really puts themselves on the front line and goes through the rigorous process in the military to be on the front line that they should have the opportunity to do so without their identity being challenged as an issue. their sexual identity. >> beth, thank you for the phone call. appreciate it. let's try to get out some more facebook comments. you had such a huge response. carl wrote this, don't ask,

don't tell was put in place to allow homosexuals to serve, not to ban them. i'd logically i absolutely agree that they should be exactly the same and soldiers should just instantly change their attitudes as soon as the law is changed. realistically, not going to happen. carl is kind of echoing what our previous caller said, a tough transition. michael said, my last two years in the navy, i don't remember even having the time to have any kind of sexual orientation. primary job, collateral jobs, advancement courses. physical training, field exercises, weapons cleaning, et cetera. truth be told, there's more gays and lesbians in the service than most would with imagine. thanks, michael. still time for you to weigh in. should gays be allowed to openly serve in the military? you can fire off an e-mail, cnn.com/hln. breaking news to tell you about right now. the senate has just confirmed federal reserve chairman ben

bernanke to a second term. the final vote was 70-30. of course, better nan ken has come under criticism from both sides of the aisle. a lot of tough talk from lawmakers, some of them blame him for not seeing the financial meltdown for all those wall street bailouts as well. supporters argue that he came to the financial rescue just in time to prevent catastrophe. but after all the talking from lawmakers and they all talk a lot and talk big, he was confirmed. an accident, truck accident, in istanbul, turkey, is caught on tape. what happened when this dump truck went under a bridge? it's unbelievable.

look at that. that backup is quite a few miles. it's on alligator alley in florida. all because a small plane had to make an emergency landing right there on the highway in broward county. we don't know what caused the emergency. we do know there's a couple people on board and no one wias hurt. the traffic on teastbound lanes is backed up for miles. hey, at least nobody was hurt in all that drama. talk about drama, really, just keep your eyes focused on the tv. not on me, what we're about to show you. this horrible accident caught by security cameras. look at this. this big truck, there it's coming. yes, it comes down with the dull pster raised and crashes through that pedestrian bridge.

you can see the person came down with debris. the person is fine. uf just don't see that every day. this happened in istanbul turkey. again, the pedestrian has injuries but survived all that. the driver told police the dumper accidentally lifted while he was driving. wow. john edwards' former aide said he found something shocking when he was cleaning his house. andrew young tells abc news it was videotape of edwards having sex with a visibly pregnant woman, presumably rielle hunter. young says it was made a couple of months before the 2007 iowa caucuses e.'s been to release a book about the sex will scandal and his role covering it up during the 2008 presidential will campaign. that included young claiming hunter's child was his and moving her into his house with his family. young says he found the tape after hunter moved out. we have reached out to hunter and edwards about the claim and are waiting for their comment. we should add edwards has

acknowledged a federal probe into his campaign finances and hunter has been spotted at a federal courthouse in raleigh, north carolina. edwards' aide, young, has also been seen there. wall street investors were no longer indecisive today. the result was a big loss for stocks. stephanie elam joins us to break it down for us. >> yes. stocks dropped to their lowest level in nearly three months with the tech sector leading the declines. claims for unemployment benefits fell last week but not as much as analysts were forecasting. proctor & gamble and 3 m posted better than expected earnings. not enough to restore investor confidence. the dow tumbling 150 points to 1,120. nasdaq lost nearly 2% and s&p fell more than 1%. one stock moving in reverse today, toyota, losing more than 2.5%. the japanese automaker's troubles continue to grow as its massive recalls now affect more

than 5 million vehicles. the problem involves the gas pedals on many makes and models. investors are putting on the brakes. since the recall expanded last week to include another gas pedal problem and not just floor mat issues. the stock has lost 14%. finally, you just saw it here on hln. just a few minutes ago, ben bernanke earned a second term as chairman of the federal reserve. first the senate voteded to overcome a filibuster before approving his nomination 70-30. >> there sure were a lot of lawmakers blowing a lot of hot air. am i crazy? weren't they? >> nope. that's kind of how it works in washington, i think. you've got to huff and puff. >> thank you, stephanie. it's been almost a year since haleigh cummings vanisheded from her home in florida. now her father is speak being out from jail. what he's threatening to do if police ever catch the person responsible for haleigh's disappearance.

scott roeder admits on the witness stand he put a handgun to dr. george tiller's head and then pulled the trigger. he argues it was his christian duty to kill dr. tiller. dr. tiller performed late-term abortions. testimony just resumed from a brief recess that is about to resume, rather. this is all happening in kansas. earlier roeder testified his religious beliefs mandated he stop late-term abortions. he told the court he considered maiming the doctor before he decided dr. tiller had to die. >> so you began to think of different ways in which you might pull this off, is that correct? just a yes or no. >> yes. >> and among them was that you would cut his hands off with a knife, is that correct? >> probably with a sword. >> with a sword. did you own a sword?

>> no. >> are you a swordsman? >> no. >> your intent was to chop his hands off? >> to stop him. >> but you figured that that wouldn't be exactly stopping him, is that right? >> yes. >> and that was because he could still go on and educate or train other people, is that right? >> yes. >> and so you felt you needed a more permanent solution. >> yes. >> and that permanent solution would be to murder dr. tiller, is that correct? >> to kill. >> prosecution witnesses described how they watched as tiller was gunned down at his church while he was serving as an usher on sunday. the senate has confirmed federal reserve chief ben bernanke to a second term. the final vote ended up being 70-30. bernanke was getting some criticism from both sides of the aisle, some lawmakers blamed him for not seeing the financial meltdown coming, and for all

those wall street bailouts, but his supporters argue he came to the financial rescue just in time to prevent a catastrophe. so he has been confirmed for a second term. a winter storm is sweeping across the southern plains, closing roads in new mexico, knocking down tree limbs in west texas. the governor of oklahoma has declared an emergency in the entire state. charles bassett of affiliate kwtv joins us from oklahoma. how bad is it? >> reporter: well, richelle, here we go again. you might remember it was just christmas eve when we had that blizzard, 14 inches of snow. now we're having a month later what's shaping up to be a significant eice storm. we're being pelted by sleet. take a look around me right now. look on the ground. it's just starting to pile up here. this looks like it might be light snow, but it's not. all of this is just sleet, ice pellets. just beyond that, this is hefner parkway, one of the main thoroughfares in the area.

you can see the buildup there as well. now, the city crews have been doing a great job getting the sand, salt out and trying to keep the roads clear. we've had some reports of minor accidents, nothing major so far. the oklahoma department of transportation, they have crews stationed throughout the state especially in the western half of the state where all of this is starting to move in. first they had a press conference earlier today. here's what they had to say. >> all the problems we've experienced so far is as a result of accidents caused by people who are out and about, and we're asking them to please stay home today. normally we give people an option, but today i think mother nature is in charge and we are asking people to stay home and allow the emergency crews and the road crews be able to do what we need to do. so that the highways can remain open. >> reporter: and, of course, with any significant ice storm, the big threat is power outages. we've had some reports of power

outages so far. with that said, the american red cross has shelters opened up you throughout the state just in case we have widespread power outages. people can go to those shelters just to remain safe. right now it's really a sleet event right here in oklahoma city, but as the evening goes on, we're expecting significant ice buildup and probably widespread power outages. richelle? >> charles, we appreciate the information. but i can honestly say if you hadn't said a word, just that horrible sound of the sleet would have told us everything we needed to know. hang in there. it just sown sounds miserable. legendary author j.d. salinger has passed away. his son says the author of "the catcher in the rye" died in his new hampshire home of natural causes. the novel was published to widespread acclaim back in 1951. teenagers all over the world still identify with its alienated anti-hero holden caufield. a few novels and short stories

followed, but he became more reclusive, published nothing after 1965. j.d. al injsalinger died at thef 91. president obama is highlighting what he has called his number one focus, creating jobs. in tampa he unveiled $8 billion in federal funding for high-speed rail projects. he says upgrading the transportation system will create jobs. many of his initiatives are aimed at boosting employment, including small business tax cuts and clean energy. again, creating jobs was the dominant theme of the first state of the union address. he also talked about the rest of his domestic agenda, including a new fee on the country's largest banks, also health care reform. a cnn opinion research corporation poll shows 78% of those who watched the speech had a positive reaction with 48% having a very positive reaction, 30% somewhat positive. the sample of this group of speech watchers was 38%

democratic and 25% republican. one with of those aktd visits accused of tampering with louisiana senator mary landrieu's phones was apparently trying to prove she's not in touch with her constituents. at least that's according to his lawyer. robert flanigan's attorney says the men weren't trying to disable or wiretap the phones in senator landrieu's office but instead trying to document allegations that her staff had been ignoring phone calls that criticized her position on health care reform. 25-year-old james owe teef was one of three other men arrested with flanigan. o'keefe you probably know because he secretly videotaped workers from the community organizing group a.c.o.r.n. in hopes of exposing wrongdoing. he's the guy who dressed up as the pimp. the parents of morgan harrington say they'll wait to bury their daughter because the medical examiner still has their child's body. her remains were found this week on an isolated cattle farm near

charlottesville, virginia. she disappeared in october after attending a metallica concert. her parents think the person responsible is from the area. >> this is not a random place that someone came upon accidentally. this is known to someone here. we now need to find the person who did this and we will not stop until that person is brought to justice. >> officials still don't know how morgan died, but they're investigating her death as a homicide. investigators may have a big lead in the disappearance of a georgia woman. kristy cornwell, media think the case is connected to an attempted abduction of a north carolina woman who described that man you're seeing right there. police got an nan muss letter from a woman who says the sketch looks like her grandson in florida. the letter says he was near the area where cornwell was abducted and drives the same car identified in that north carolina case. the president is calling on

congress to repeal the ban on gays serving openly in the military. so what do you think about this? what do you think about getting rid of the don't ask, don't tell policy? would it help the military? would it hurt the military? we want your views on this, next.

earthquake survivors in haiti are looting businesses in the business district of port-au-prince. police fired into the air to try to break up the crowd. within minutes hundreds of people have returned to scavenge for supplies. there has been little done to keep haitians from stripping

shops bare. it may sound unbelievable, but a 16-year-old girl was actually found alive in the rubble of the earthquake yesterday. we're told she's doing much better. she is actually eating soft foods. still just can't believe this. rescuers believe she was trapped for 15 days. she was found in the bathroom of her house. rescuers think she had access to water. they found her after a group of people said they could hear a voice in the rubble. rescuers say she was severely dehydrated, barely had a pulse and they think she probably wouldn't have made it even a few more hours. another quake survivor gave his son a surprise here in the states. you have to see this. former nba player is a native of haiti. he went on the dr. phil show to talk about what it's been like to try to find his relatives there after the disaster. you have got to watch this. >> i am what i am because of my dad and my mom so everybody's going through it right now, but

it's just really tough. >> well, it's a whole other world because you haven't actually seen him for, like, three years. >> yes. and although it was good to see him on satellite, of course. >> it was. i just can't wait -- i think right now is with my mom because most of my family members are on my mom's side. my dad was an only child. so everybody else is on her side. and my mother, you know, she's not in the best of health so we've been trying to make sure she stays calm and just watch out for her. >> you never get too old for your dad to be your dad. >> i can't wait to see him and give him a big hug. >> well, it's funny you say that. let's not wait to see him.

>> i think i've seen that about four or five times today, i have to fight tearing up every time. i know someone is crying at home right now. he found out last week his father survived the quake. we are hearing defense secretary robert gates is going to make a major announcement next week about the military's don't ask, don't tell policy. of course, in the state of the union address last night, president obama pledged to end it. that would fulfill a promise he made during the 2008 campaign. >> this year i will work with congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. it's the right thing to do. >> the pentagon says the join chiefs are working on a plan to end don't ask, don't tell.

you saw there the military commanders did not react during the president's speech. but robert gates gave him a standing ovation. we've been asking for your views on this about repealing don't ask, don't tell. huge response on this. a lot of comments on my facebook page. we're p it up with just a few. jeff says, i don't agree with repealing the don't ask don't tell. i'm a navy veteran and i know in my short time in the military, if someone you would have been open about their sexuality, it would have made men nervous and not perform to the best of their ability. christy said this, does it really matter in combat? do you think a homosexual will lose sight of the task at hand during a gun battle because he's trying to hit on his fellow soldier? the last word goes to francisco. he says, i am in the military and most of the people who i know wouldn't care as long as the enlisted member or

commissioned officer does their job and does it well. fantastic discussion all day today as always. thank you all so much. you've been talking about this, too. toyota has expanded its recall to include another 1.1 million vehicles. so that brings the total of recalled vehicles since november to more than 7 million. the latest recall adds to the 4 million cars toyota recalled last fall to fix a problem in which the gas pedal gets caught in the floor mat, that's separate from last week's recall of 2.3 million vehicles. that one involves gas pedals that get stuck, sometimes causing the car to accelerate even after you take your foot off the gais. super bowl fever is starting to spread. we just found out who will get the fans in the spirit by singing the national anthem.

we've got something in to the newsroom to tell you about. elizabeth edwards is breaking her silence about this tell-all book we've been telling you about that's supposed to hit the store shelves.

the book is by a former aide to her husband, andrew young. he claims that elizabeth tried to use her cancer to help her husband's political chances while he was running for president. now, the edwards, their separation just became public yesterday. a spokesperson for elizabeth edwards just sent out this statement. let me read this to you. "elizabeth is moving on with her life and wants to put this difficult chapter behind her. it was an excruciatingly painful period for her and she has no interest in rehashing the past. based on the limited portions of the book that have been made available, it is clear it containses many falsehoods and exaggerations. she will not engage in a dialogue on each of the false charges but would like to set the record straight on two key points. first, the allegation that she sought to politicize her cancer is unconscionable, hurt bl and patently false. and second she believed andrew young to be the father of this child until her husband confessed his paternity to her this past summer.

she will have nothing further to say." now, let's recap how we got to that point. the author of that new book, andrew young, also says in addition to a lot of things that he found something shocking when he was cleaning the house. he found something dirty, all right? he tells abc news it was a videotape of edwards having sex with a visibly pregnant woman, presumably rielle hunter, the mother of edwards' 22-month-old daughter. well, young says that it was made a couple of months before the 2007 iowa caucuses e.'s about to release this book about the sex scandal and his role covering it up during the 2008 presidential campaign. that you included young claiming hunter's child was his and moving her into his house with his family. young says he found the tape after hunter moved out. now, we have reached out to edwards and hunter about the claim. we are awaiting comment. and to add edwards has acknowledged a federal probe

into his campaign finances and hunter has been spotted at a federal courthouse in raleigh, north carolina. edwards' aide, young, who wrote this book, has also been stleen. so, let's talk to mike right now, mike galanos of "prime news." a lot of people are saying if this is just about someone's personal business i don't want to hear about it but it is more than that. we need to remind people this is against the backdrop of a federal investigation. >> exactly. >> whether or not you were using campaign funs to pay off a mistress, cover up an affair, a lot of angles to this. >> there are. the basic one, anyway, we've shown you the video of john and elizabeth edwards in the courtyard announcing her cancer had come back. if you look at the time line while he's making that announcements with her he is carrying on with hunter. we want to hear from you as they announced they are separated, telling a reporter from "people" magazine talking to elizabeth edwards' sister saying elizabeth edwards has quote/unquote had it. >> who can blame her.

>> who can blame her. call in, 1-877-tell-hln's the phone number a. heart-breaking tragedy, a mom is going to court because her daughter had too much to drink. she ends up drowning. now, she is going after some of her teen friends and some of the adults in the picture who provided the alcohol. i know what you're saying, you feel for the mom. >> interesting. >> but does she have a legal case against teenagers as well. as the story goes they jokingly pointed her daughter, she wanted to walk home, she pointed her to a swampy area where she ended up drowning. does she have a case, a local one? call in, 1-877-tell-hln, coming your way in less than ten minutes. >> wow. the national anthem will have a country flavor this year. carrie underwood will sing it before the big game february 7th and queen latifah offering a rendition of "america the beautiful" during the pregame ceremonies.